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A380

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A380
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (19)
From:  Kennford (SX910852)
To:  Collaton St Mary (SX871600)
Distance:  18 miles (29 km)
Meets:  A38, A381, A3022, A385
Old route now:  B3195, A3022
Primary Destinations
Highway Authorities

Devon • Torbay

Traditional Counties

Devon

Route outline (key)
A380 Kennford - Collaton St Mary
A380 Edginswell - Torquay

Route

The A380 is the main road linking Torquay, Paignton and Brixham to the rest of the world. It is primary for its entire length, though that's due to some renumbering at the Torquay end.

Kennford - Ware Barton

The top of Telegraph Hill

The route starts at Splatford Split on the A38 at Kennford, stealing lane 1 from the Devon Expressway, as well as allowing traffic to exit from lane 2. It immediately gains a third lane temporarily to climb Telegraph Hill through thick forest. Before the recent works to improve the terminal junction northbound to allow two lanes to join instead of one, a U-turn was allowed at this point: traffic could take a right-hand exit from lane 3 into a dedicated U-turn slip, to then give way to northbound traffic and rejoin going down the hill, providing access to a very minor road that would not otherwise be reachable, though this U-turn facility is now blocked off and traffic wanting this destination is signed to turn off at the top of the hill instead and follow the minor roads from there. Lane 3 gives up just before the top, where a blind sharp right turn awaits - tricky at 50, let alone the legal speed limit of 70.

From here to the Ashcombe Cross junction, the two carriageways split and run on different levels in quite a few places, in a surprisingly twisty, hilly configuration for an NSL HQDC, giving a rollercoaster feel to the drive. After Ashcombe the carriageways stay together and an arrow-straight dip follows at the junction signed as Wapperwell - the bus stop at the bottom of it has the more apt name of Ideford Dip. Arguably the most dangerous part of the route follows: at the top is a very hidden short merge where a small but not negligible amount of rural traffic from Chudleigh races to join, and after a smooth stretch of downhill, the even more treacherous Eagle Farm on-slip appears, where main carriageway speeds can easily drop to 30 or lower in otherwise free-flowing conditions due to braking races with the much heavier joining commuter traffic here. This entire section is much safer northbound, with no tricky merges and a more gentle route north of Ashcombe. Shortly after Eagle Farm, the Ware Barton junction appears, a traditional unsignalised roundabout interchange providing access to the bypassed Kingsteignton, as well as the A379 towards Teignmouth.

Ware Barton - Edginswell

Where traffic joins from Ware Barton, main carriageway traffic is already slowing down to prepare for the average-speed-camera-enforced 50 limit ahead and getting in lane for the Penn Inn junction just after, which has only a single lane flyover in each direction: rush hour queues are common from Penn Inn back to Ware Barton, and occasionally continue up the hill back toward Eagle Farm. The section from Penn Inn to Edginswell, known as the South Devon Highway or the Kingskerswell Bypass, was newly opened on the 15th December 2015, replacing a previous 40 limit single carriageway through Kingskerswell: naturally, queues were even worse before those works. Nevertheless, there's a good view of the Teign Estuary flowing out to sea to the east on the long river bridge between the two junctions, and once past the Penn Inn, which provides access to the A381, Newton Abbot, Totnes and Milber, the road squeezes in with a very narrow central reservation between the local access Aller Brake Road to the east, and the London to Penzance railway line to the west.

Soon the narrow section ends, as the main carriageway bears to the right over a cut-and-cover tunnel for the railway's Torquay branch, while an exit leads to the left to one of three roundabouts of the Aller Interchange, a variant of a dumbbell that provides access to the old road through Kingskerswell; in famous local news during the works, this first roundabout was nicknamed "Barry's Roundabout" after one of the workers, and though a makeshift nameplate was put up in the middle of it at the time, no acknowledgement of the name exists on the ground today. However, one sign that does exist here now is a huge brown tourist sign advertising no less than four eateries - a clear appeasement to those that would have been impacted by being taken off the main traffic route. The junction also provides access to the Decoy industrial estates and nearby housing areas, via a route that was significantly improved, especially for cyclists, shortly after the main bypass works were completed.

The road goes under Maddacombe Road and Yon Street overbridges, and then straightens out as it approaches an enormous signalised T-junction. The A380 TOTSOs right while to the left is the slightly extended A3022, serving the large resort town of Torquay. The old A380 originally would have instead approached from the left and continued up the hill to the right.

Edginswell - Tweenaways

After the traffic lights, the road quickly becomes NSL dual carriageway again; the very first bit was dualled at the same time as the South Devon Highway, but the rest was dualled from rather longer ago. Three standard roundabouts exist on this section: firstly Gallows Gate, where a single road exits to the left, then after a fairly long uninterrupted stretch of road with an old windmill visible to the left, two four-arm roundabouts in quick succession before the end of the dual carriageway. The road then returns to a 30 limit single carriageway, travelling through several urban areas as well as a steep downhill stretch followed by a sharp right bend, until it meets Tweenaways signalised crossroads, where the A380 ends, with the A3022 going both left towards Paignton town center and ahead along the rest of the ring road, and the A385 towards Totnes available via a right turn.




A380
Junctions
Crossings
Places
Related Pictures
View gallery (19)
A380, Haldon - Coppermine - 19965.jpgA380 001.jpgFoot of Old Haldon Hill - Geograph - 1218992.jpgOld A38 - Halt Major Road Ahead - Coppermine - 18244.jpgTurning for Starcross, on the A380 - Geograph - 1994375.jpg
Other nearby roads
Exeter
Newton Abbot
Torquay
A379 • A3022 • B3198 • B3199 • B3200 • B3202 (Torquay) • B3337
Paignton
A379 • A385 • A3022 • B3060 • B3201 • B3202 (Paignton) • B3203
A300-A399
A300 • A301 • A302 • A303 • A304 • A305 • A306 • A307 • A308 • A309 • A310 • A311 • A312 • A313 • A314 • A315 • A316 • A317 • A318 • A319
A320 • A321 • A322 • A323 • A324 • A325 • A326 • A327 • A328 • A329 • A330 • A331 • A332 • A333 • A334 • A335 • A336 • A337 • A338 • A339
A340 • A341 • A342 • A343 • A344 • A345 • A346 • A347 • A348 • A349 • A350 • A351 • A352 • A353 • A354 • A355 • A356 • A357 • A358 • A359
A360 • A361 • A362 • A363 • A364 • A365 • A366 • A367 • A368 • A369 • A370 • A371 • A372 • A373 • A374 • A375 • A376 • A377 • A378 • A379
A380 • A381 • A382 • A383 • A384 • A385 • A386 • A387 • A388 • A389 • A390 • A391 • A392 • A393 • A394 • A395 • A396 • A397 • A398 • A399
St Peters Way  Motorways: A308(M) • A329(M)  Earlier Itineraries: A303 • A326 • A331 • A333 • A341 • A346 • A355 • A364 • A369 • A374 • A378 • A392 • A397


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