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A4008

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A4008
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (9)
From:  Watford East (TQ139914)
To:  Hatch End, Harrow (TQ128980)
Distance:  5.5 miles (8.9 km)
Meets:  M1, A41, A411, A4125, B462, B4542, A410
Former Number(s):  B460
Old route now:  B462
Primary Destinations
Highway Authorities

Harrow  • Hertfordshire

Traditional Counties

Hertfordshire • Middlesex

Route outline (key)
A4008 Watford East - Watford
(A411) Watford Town Centre
A4008 Watford - Hatch End
A4008 Watford - Aldenham
This article is about the current A4008 near Harrow and Watford.
For the original A4008 near Marlow and Maidenhead, see A4008 (Berkshire)
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The A4008 is a short A-road through Watford, connecting the town in different directions to Middlesex and the M1.

I'm going to start at the "wrong" end - the side just North East of Watford where the A4008 begins at Junction 5 of the M1. Junction 5 is the first proper junction since the motorway began in London; that is, it is the first junction from which northbound traffic can exit and the last junction at which southbound traffic can enter.

If you are travelling Southbound on the M1 you may be directed to leave at this junction for Harrow; you have some way to go to actually get to Harrow, but you would follow the A4008 to do this. The other road at this junction is the A41 which is actually running parallel with the M1 at this point. There is no access here to the North East but that area is well served by Junction 6 anyway.

Stephenson Way

One who has just come from London might be surprised that the A4008 is not actually primary because it begins as Stephenson Way, a dual-carriageway of the nature that is not generally seen in London on anything less than a primary route - but anyway it is not primary. Before we actually get to Watford we have to slow down a little for a roundabout emerging from the right for local traffic.

The second roundabout allows us to go up a ramp to hit the main Watford gyratory which is a ring-road around the town centre and forms part of the A411. The A4008 disappears in a multiplex along the A411 for a while down Waterfields Way and around another gyratory system to the south of the main one, aptly called Lower High Street, with Dalton Way going in the other direction. Some other stores have opened around this area including an industrial park with Tesco and a free car park (at least for a limited time) unlike some of the main ones, allowing some shoppers to park there and walk the remainder.

We now get to the area commonly known as Bushey Arches and a third gyratory system - this one not such a great idea: there can be traffic problems here as many drivers are also getting confused which way to go for their exit. This is Chalk Hill Road heading East, Aldenham Road heading to the South West and Pinner Road heading to the North West to complete the triangle. At the first of these junctions on our own journey, i.e. Chalk Hill Road and Pinner Road, there is also the A4125 Eastbury Road on the same roundabout that goes to Northwood. And at the second one Aldenham Road to the left is the B462 which leads to Radlett (and at least close to Aldenham); this road (at least as far as the A41) was numbered A4008 between the 1960s and 1990s before the present motorway link road was built.

Traffic wishing to stay on the A411 remains on Chalk Hill Road here. Traffic coming Westbound on the A411 and wishing to go towards Watford must go the way we are going, south-west onto Aldenham Road.

As we reach the junction with Pinner Road, traffic on the A411 to Watford and also the northbound A4008 takes the north-west branch of Pinner Road (right the way we are heading). We turn left onto Pinner Road heading South East (slightly more South than East) and now we are on the A4008 through Oxhey. This section is not built up but it is S2

We continue through South Oxhey with a junction on the right for the B4542, and then continue on south until we get to a roundabout in Hatch End where we meet the A410. Here you turn left for Stanmore and right for Northwood or Pinner although if you were going there you'd have probably taken the A4125 earlier.

The A4008 ends here, although there is also a straight ahead option, Courtenay Avenue, which becomes Harrow View later on and leads to the centre of Harrow, actually pretty close to the start of the A312. For whatever reason though they decided not to classify this section. Perhaps because you have two other options to get to Harrow with both the A404 to the West and the A409 to the East being alternative routes from the A410.




A4008
Junctions
Places
Related Pictures
View gallery (9)
Bushey Arches - Geograph - 505347.jpgBerrygrove.PNGBgrove Sept64.jpgOxhey Lane, Hatch End - Geograph - 4756403.jpgM1 J5 to 10 - 1 - Advance signage to M1 - Watford - Coppermine - 695.jpg
Other nearby roads
Watford
Harrow
A40 • A312 • A404 • A409 • A410 • A4005 • A4006 • A4090 • A4125 • A4127 • A4140 • B358 • B457 • B458 • B459 • B460 • E13 • Longest Lane • M1 • M16 • Ringway 3
A4000-A4099
A4000 • A4001 • A4002 • A4003 • A4004 • A4005 • A4006 • A4007 • A4008 • A4009 • A4010 • A4011 • A4012 • A4013 • A4014 • A4015 • A4016 • A4017 • A4018 • A4019
A4020 • A4021 • A4022 • A4023 • A4024 • A4025 • A4026 • A4027 • A4028 • A4029 • A4030 • A4031 • A4032 • A4033 • A4034 • A4035 • A4036 • A4037 • A4038 • A4039
A4040 • A4041 • A4042 • A4043 • A4044 • A4045 • A4046 • A4047 • A4048 • A4049 • A4050 • A4051 • A4052 • A4053 • A4054 • A4055 • A4056 • A4057 • A4058 • A4059
A4060 • A4061 • A4062 • A4063 • A4064 • A4065 • A4066 • A4067 • A4068 • A4069 • A4070 • A4071 • A4072 • A4073 • A4074 • A4075 • A4076 • A4077 • A4078 • A4079
A4080 • A4081 • A4082 • A4083 • A4084 • A4085 • A4086 • A4087 • A4088 • A4089 • A4090 • A4091 • A4092 • A4093 • A4094 • A4095 • A4096 • A4097 • A4098 • A4099
Earlier iterations: A4008 • A4013 • A4015 • A4020 • A4032 • A4040 • A4041 • A4044 • A4045 • A4047 • A4050 • A4051 • A4052 • A4053 • A4057
A4060 • A4062 • A4066 • A4068 • A4069 • A4071 • A4072 • A4073 • A4074 • A4080 • A4082 • A4084 • A4085(N) • A4085(S) • A4087 • A4090

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