A3

Route

This is the former A3 at Hindhead

Main Article: A3 route

A road with some history and strategic significance, as it connects London with its principal naval port. In the times of the Napoleonic Wars, when the Straits of Dover were vulnerable, this road became London's principal link with the Channel ports. Its history has also given it more than its fair share of reputations for highwaymen.

From its creation in 1936, the London-Portsmouth trunk road followed the A3 throughout its length.

History

The A3 at Hook during the 1960s

Main Article: A3 history

The A3 like many roads was mainly S2 at Classification. Since then most of the road has been upgraded to dual carriageway. The section at Hindhead was the last trunk section of single carriageway outside TfL control, until replaced by the Hindhead Tunnel in 2011.

Notable locations and improvements

London Bridge

This is a river view of London Bridge

Main Article: London Bridge

London Bridge is one of the oldest crossings in Britain. The current incaration was finished in 1973. It first opened in 50AD.

Wisley Interchange

This is a strip map of Wisley Interchange

Main Article: Wisley Interchange

Wisley Interchange is the A3 interchange with the M25. It is a roundabout junction and it was built in early 1980s.

Hindhead Tunnel

Construction works on the tunnel in 2009

Main Article: Hindhead Tunnel

The Hindhead Bypass and Tunnel provide full grade-separation of all the roads between Thursley and the Hampshire border. Construction of the tunnel started in early 2007 and it opened on 27/07/2011 and 29/07/2011. The old route from Hindhead Crossroads to Bramshott Chase has been renumbered as the A333, while the northern section has been removed and is now a cycle path.

Future

Expressway proposals

In December 2017, it was proposed that the A3 could be upgraded to an expressway as part of the proposals to introduce a new type of road network. The proposal includes different expressway types with an aspiration that the highest quality expressways will be given motorway designation and an Ax(M) number. (Source: Highways England Strategic Road Network Initial Report)

Opening Dates

Year	Section	Notes
50	London Bridge	Original military bridge.
1831	London Bridge	John Rennie Bridge built. It was superseded by the 1973 bridge and sold to be re-erected in Arizona (London Bridge (Arizona))
1925	Cosham Northern Road	The 0.7 mile road to bypass the High Street was opened on 28 May 1925 by Frank J. Privett, Mayor of Portsmouth. The name referred to the road's direction – the Portsmouth to London route. It was 60 feet wide with a 40 foot carriageway and included a reinforced concrete bridge over the railway built by Messrs. John Hunt Ltd. of Gosport. The bridge was tested by 5 steam rollers and 4 heavily laden steam wagons, a total of 120 tons. Cost was £53,000. The section south of Spur Road was later renumbered A397.
1927	Kingston-upon-Thames Bypass	The 9.5 mile road from Beverley Bridge, Richmond Park to Littleworth Common was opened on 15 April 1927 by Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister. Width was 100 feet with a reinforced concrete 30 foot carriageway. The three railway bridges had still to be built so presumably there were level crossings. Contractor was Stewart and McDonnell of Westminster, cost £400,000. It included the A298 Bushey Road spur to Kingston Road, Merton. The bypass section south-west of the later Esher Bypass was later renumbered A309.
1932	Hilsea: Northern Parade Extension	The 0.75 mile link northwards from Magdalan Road to join London Road, via a rebuilding of Lovers Lane, was opened on 27 October 1932 by F.G. Foster, Lord Mayor. It bypassed Hilsea although the adjacent council owned land was sold for development. 60 foot wide with a 40 foot carriageway and 10 foot footpaths. A non skid surface was trialled, granite chippings had been rolled into the asphalt. Cost came out below the £40,500 forecast. It was unclassified upon opening then numbered A3017 in 1935. It was later renumbered A3.
1934	Guildford and Godalming Bypass	The nine mile road was opened by Leslie Hore-Belisha, Minister of Transport, on 27 July 1934. The bypass ran from Milford to Boxgrove with an A246 spur (Boxgrove Road) between Boxgrove and Merrow. The bypass included 6 bridges over or under the Southern Railway, Hog's Back, River Wey and Pilgrims' Way and cost was just under £400,000. The Minister declared that there would be no danger, like some earlier bypasses, of converting it into a street and he was considering whether the prevention of Ribbon Development legislation was sufficient. The section from Woodbridge to Merrow was later renumbered A25.
1938	Wandsworth Bypass	The 10 June 1938 West London Observer reported that the section from Putney Bridge Road to Wandsworth Plain had been in use for some weeks and the section from the Plain to York Road had been opened, initially with 2 lanes. 0.25 mile, 60 foot wide with a 40 foot carriageway. It included a new bridge over River Wandle. Cost £67,000.
1952	Horndean dualling	1.3 mile online dualling from adjacent to Windmill Hill to Antigua Row (site of the current London Road Junction (Horndean) A3(M) J1). The first report seen in the Portsmouth Evening News was on 28 May 1952 about the Ministry authorising the erection of “two-way road” signs at either end, so it is expected that it opened earlier. Shown on 1957 OS 1:25000 map.
1969-70	Bramshott dualling	0.8 mile online dualling north-east from River Wey bridge on London Road. Shown on July 1970 OS Route Planning map. Not on July 1969 edition.
1969-70	Gravel Hill to Windmill Hill dualling	The split carriageway section north of Horndean was shown on the June 1970 OS Quarter inch map. Not on March 1969 edition. Later reconstructed into adjacent carriageways.
1970	Thursley dualling and deviation	1 mile dualling southwards from 0.3 mile south of Dye House Road. The latest roadworks report for the widening and re-alignment was in the Surrey Advertiser of 3 April 1970. The due date had been April 1970. Shown on July 1970 OS Route Planning map.
1973	London Bridge	Current Bridge built.
1976	Ripley Bypass	Reported in October 1976 by Coventry Evening Telegraph as having been previously completed 3 months ahead of schedule. Contractor was Cementation.
1976	Esher and Cobham Bypass	The 7.3 mile D3 dual carriageway was opened on 15 December 1976 per Hansard. Contractor was W. and C. French (Construction) Ltd., outturn works cost £18.9 million.
1979	Horndean and Waterlooville Bypass Bypass (A3(M))	The 5.3 miles motorway from J1 to A27 Havant Bypass was opened on 20 December 1979 per The Gazette.
1981	Burpham and Abbotswood Bypass	Burpham - Ladymead Diversion. The 3.9 mile D3 / D2 dual carriageway was completed in July 1981 per the Policy for Roads in England: 1981 Report. Outturn works cost £19.4 million.
1981	Waterlooville Inner Relief Road	Maurepas Way. Opened in 1981 per Havant Borough Council’s “Town Centres Study” July 2020. Shown on October 1982 OS 1:250000 map. Not on 1980 Philips Road Atlas.
1989	Compton - Shackleford Improvement	A bypass of Puttenham Heath Lane on the Guildford - Godalming Bypass. The 2.7 mile D2 road was completed in December 1989 per DoT's Trunk Roads, England: Into the 1990s. Works cost £9.7 million.
1992	Liphook and Petersfield Bypass	The 12 mile dual carriageway was officially opened on 9 July 1992 by Kenneth Carlisle, Roads and Traffic Minister, and to traffic on 10 July 1992 following completion of safety barrier checks. Tender cost £35.84 million, total cost £65.72 million.
1992	Milford Bypass	Completed in December 1992 per Hansard. Tender cost £7.9 million, outturn cost £10.8 million.
2011	Hindhead Tunnel and Hindhead Bypass	A 4-mile D2 diversion of A3 including 1.2 miles of twin bore tunnel, bypassing Hindhead and completing a dualled route from London (Putney Heath) to Portsmouth. The bypassed A3 was partly closed and partly became A333.

External links

Roads.org.uk

• Motorway Database: A3 and A3(M)
• Futures: Hindhead Tunnel

Roads UK

• Highways and Byways Route Guide

Other

• A brief History of London Bridge
• Archive London maps showing how street plan developed near London Bridge

Videos

A3 Guildford - Hindhead

A3 Guildford and Godalming bypass, and Hindhead tunnel works.

Watch video > >