A2030
A2030 | ||||
Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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From: | Bedhampton (SU698055) | |||
To: | Portsmouth (SZ639999) | |||
Distance: | 7.5 miles (12.1 km) | |||
Meets: | A27, A3(M), B2177, A288, A2047, B2151, B2152, A3 | |||
Former Number(s): | A27, A2046 | |||
Primary Destinations | ||||
Highway Authorities | ||||
Traditional Counties | ||||
Route outline (key) | ||||
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The A2030 runs along the western side of Langstone Harbour, Portsmouth, forming one of the main routes into the city and diving into the city centre at its western end.
The route starts off a kilometre south-west of Bedhampton at a grade-separated junction) with the A27 forming one part of the greater Broad Marsh Interchange between the A3 and A3(M). The roundabout known locally as th Rusty Cutter gives access to and from the motorway, as well as the B2177 leading to and from Bedhampton itself.
From here the A2030 heads westward, at first between fields to the left and houses set well back from the road on the right, following the original route of the A27 into Farlington. At the end of a tree-lined stretch we reach a set of traffic lights where we TOTSO left into Eastern Road. This junction was the A2030's original starting-point.
Our road now becomes a narrow dual carriageway heading SSW via several sets of traffic lights to the large Farlington Roundabout (which can be confusing to the unwary) beneath the A27. From here the A2030 forms the easternmost of three roads which cross to Portsea Island, on which Portsmouth stands, and is the main way of reaching the eastern side of the city, sticking to the shoreline of Langstone Harbour and keeping its appropriate name of Eastern Road.
Thanks to some cheap upgrades, the way ahead is mostly four-lane dual carriageway with short bursts of S2. Traffic generally flows faster here as there are no buildings with road frontages, There are four large signal-controlled junctions and it is thought that these were once intended to be equipped with flyovers, but any such plans have long been abandoned.
After this the road starts to penetrate the city itself, running as an urban single carriageway before it reaches another major signalised junction (until recently a large roundabout) outside Fratton Park. Here, the road turns south and multiplexes with the A288 for about a quarter of a mile before heading west again as an urban single carriageway, encountering several roundabouts and passing Fratton railway station.
After meeting the A2047 at a roundabout the A2030 splits at the next roundabout. The mainline ahead is dual-carriageway with bus lanes until it reaches the A3 on the west side of Portsea Island at a short one-way loop. The A288 also joins here after its run along the south of the island. However, if we turn right we remain single-carriageway as we cross the railway line and head north along a distributor route. We turn left at the second roundabout to pass 1960s architecture and end at another roundabout, which is also on the A3.