A3024
A3024 | |||||||
Location Map ( geo) | |||||||
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From: | Southampton (SU409121) | ||||||
To: | Bursledon (SU485112) | ||||||
Distance: | 6.2 miles (10 km) | ||||||
Meets: | A33, A3057, A33, A335, A3035, A334, B3033, A27, A3025, M27 | ||||||
Old route now: | A27 | ||||||
Primary Destinations | |||||||
Highway Authorities | |||||||
Traditional Counties | |||||||
Route outline (key) | |||||||
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For a possible former duplicate A3024 in Bristol, see A3024 (Bristol).
Route
The A3024 is the principal route out of Southampton towards Fareham, Portsmouth and beyond, though it can hardly be described as a fast and direct artery as there are numerous stops and starts.
Its starting point has varied with various road projects - at the turn of the 21st century it provided a TOTSO with the A35 in Millbrook, running on the original line of the A36 along Millbrook Road before swinging right onto Mountbatten Way. This is now the A33 which splits off to West Quay Road, while we continue straight on past Southampton Central station and up the hill to the Guildhall. There's nothing from stopping you going straight on here, but the signposted route turns left and heads around the side of the Guildhall to meet the A33 again, and the A335 at Charlotte Place. There's a brief multiplex with the A33 down to Six Dials, before we finally get out of the way of city centre traffic and head off past St Mary's Stadium.
Over the railway, the road widens out to D2, but don't get any hopes about putting your foot down, because this is a GATSO-enforced urban 30 road here, as we cross the River Itchen over Northam Bridge, narrow briefly to S2 to get over the railway, and then up the hill to bypass Bitterne. At the top of the hill, past a grade separated junction giving you access to the shopping area and local roads, the A334 splits off to the left, while we head past streams off traffic lights through seemingly neverending Southampton suburbia, until finally clearing it just before the Windhover Roundabout with the A27 near Bursledon. There's a quick D2 run down to meet the M27, and that's it. Left for the airport, right for Fareham and Portsmouth.
History
In the original classification, the A3024 started at the junction of New Road and Above Bar Street (then the A33), running east as far as Northam Bridge, where it terminated. The bridge at this time was a narrow toll bridge and thus unsuitable for classification.
In 1930, after the toll was removed from the Northam Bridge, the road was extended through Bitterne and Bursledon, including a new bridge over the River Hamble, to terminate on what was then the A27 at Park Gate, and in the 1935 Road numbering revision, the A27 took over this road as far as where the Windhover Roundabout is now.
The route was dualled as far as Bitterne in 1954, including a new Northam Bridge.
Road changes at the Southampton end of the road are detailed above.