A2011

This article is about the current A2011 in Crawley.
For the original A2011 in Portsmouth, see A2011 (Portsmouth).
For the A2011 that used to run near Maidstone, see A2011 (Maidstone).

Route

The A2011 forms the main route from the M23 into the north of Crawley.

The road starts at the Tushmore Gyratory which also serves the A23 and A2219. The current A23 route predates the A2011, the former being the first bypass of Crawley. The A23 approaching here from the west looks like it was built with grade separation in mind, though it hasn't happened.

A2011, Hazelwick Roundabout

The A2011 heads east carrying the Crawley Avenue name from the A23, running between the Three Bridges industrial estate and Northgate, as NSL dual carriageway for its entire length. The next stop is the Hazelwick Roundabout. Here the road meets the A2004. This roundabout is grade separated the "wrong way", as the unclassified Hazelwick Avenue/Gatwick Road flies over the top of the roundabout with its own slip roads. The only reason that can be seen for this odd situation is that it makes the commute easier for those that both live and work in Crawley, as it is no use to through traffic.

Having left the roundabout, the A2011 continues east. It first passes under a footbridge which maintains the pedestrian access to Tinsley Lane that the construction of this road removed and then climbs up over the London-Brighton Railway. With the M23 almost in view, west-facing slip roads are sent down to the B2036 passing below. The A2011 then terminates at M23 J10.

History

Constructed as part of the "new town" plans for Crawley, presumably at the same time as the M23 (Junction 10 would have nothing to connect to otherwise as the Copthorne Way came later; the original line of the A264 is the A2220). It is unclear if the A2011 number was given on this road's construction, although it is more likely it opened as part of the A2004. Once Copthorne Way was completed the road changed to being part of the A264 and with the construction of the Crawley Southern Bypass in the 1990s it was reclassified as the A2011.