A435

Route

The A435 begins life as a primary route heading south out of Birmingham. A lengthy multiplex with the A46 messes with the road and it ends its days winding across the Cotswolds.

Section 1: Birmingham - Alcester

Hollywood Bypass

We begin on the Birmingham Ring Road - the A4540 Middleway - at a four armed roundabout where all three other arms are numbered A4540. We head south along Haden Way to join Moseley Road, which this initial section was built to bypass. We continue south through Moseley itself, passing Highbury Park on the right hand side before entering Kings Heath. We pass a turn for the B4122 on the right and the B4146 on the left, then reach a crossroads with the A4040 Howard Road. Further south, we reach the dual-carriageway Hollywood bypass as we emerge from Birmingham into the countryside. South of Hollywood we rejoin the old A435 route at a roundabout. The bypass itself has no at-grade junctions. A mile further south we reach the M42 at junction 3.

Continuing south, the road remains dual carriageway, and is largely grade-separated through Portway and Branson's Cross, though the junctions are not to a particularly high standard. More significant is the trumpet with the A4023 on the east edge of Redditch, though alas it also marks the end of the dual-carriageway. There's an elongated roundabout with the A4189, again giving access to Redditch, but we manage to stay outside the town, although we hug the eastern edge closely. After passing Studeley, the A448 terminates as a T junction to the right.

The way south from here is a Roman alignment - very straight as it follows Ryknild Street to a roundabout with the B4089 at the old Roman town of Alcester. The A435 bypasses the town to the west, becoming dual carriageway for a short while (as far as the roundabout with the A422). We cross the single-carriageway bridge over the River Arrow, then join a long dual carriageway multiplex with the A46 - a road that seems to get everywhere.

Section 2: Teddington - Cirencester

Charlton Hill, just north of the A436 junction

After nearly 20 miles of A46, the A435 reappears at the Teddington Hands roundabout, where the A46 turns off towards the M5. We continue south along low, flat countryside, avoiding the hills to the east (the western fringe of the Cotswolds), and bypassing the small town of Bishop's Cleeve. We then approach Cheltenham from the north, passing the race course to the east before making our way to the town centre. Multimap suggests that any number of the A roads in the town centre could be the A435 (and even suggest another multiplex with the A46 - told you that road gets everywhere), but eventually we find ourselves on a multiplex with the A40. Soon after, we turn right and head out of town, climbing steeply onto the Cotswold plateau to a junction with the A436 at Seven Springs, which needs two roundabouts with a short D2 section and Pegasus Crossing between them.

From there, we head south, then east through the River Churn Valley, through what is to my mind the prettiest part of the route - consisting of steep-sided valleys lined with woods. We pass lots of small settlements, eventually reaching a bridge under the A417, then go into Cirencester. We TOTSO left on meeting the pre-bypass route of the A417 before continuing onto a relief road, part of which is dualled. We end at a roundabout on the north edge of town where we meet the A429.

Original Author(s): Simon Davies

History

1953 OS map showing the A435 east of Redditch

Birmingham

The original northern end of the road was on the A41 Camp Hill (now the unclassified Old Camp Hill), after which the A435 went along Stratford Place to meet Moseley Road. Much of the northern end of the road has now been destroyed by the A4540 Camp Hill Middleway, although the Elizabethan Stratford House still exists on the remnant of Stratford Place and the majority of Moseley Road is merely bypassed. After the "new" Haden Road meets the "old" Moseley Road the A435 follows its original route to the edge of the city.

Hollywood - Mapleborough Green

This section was dualled before the M42 came along: the northern section forms a bypass of Hollywood and Wythall, while the section south of the M42 was mostly dualled online, though in many places sections of abandoned A435 can be seen.

Alcester Bypass

The Alcester Bypass opened in 1990, taking the A435 and the A422 away from the town centre. At its northern end (still to this day), the dual carriageway ends 400 yards before the roundabout, as the Studley bypass would have continued north from that point rather than using the roundabout.

Alcester - Teddington

The A435 used to exist in its own right between Alcester and Teddington, but the A46 came along in 1995 with its newfangled dual carriageway bypassing Norton and Lenchwick, causing the old route between Alcester and Evesham to be downgraded. That section is now partly unclassified and partly the B4088.

Evesham Bypass was originally constructed as the A435 (the old route through town is now the A4184, which itself avoids a dogleg across the River Avon and multiplex along the A44), though that was renumbered in 1995 also, along with the section to the south as far as the Teddington roundabout (with the B4077). The A46 in the area also caused the downgrading of the A438, A439 and A441.

Cirencester

The A435 used to terminate on the A417 slightly to the north of Cirencester, but with the coming of the modern bypass, the A435 has now been extended along the former A417 into Cirencester. (Though many of the signs don't acknowledge this, and are convinced that the A417 and A419 still travel through the town.

Future

Studley Bypass

There have been on and off plans for a Studley bypass for years, but as of yet it has not been constructed.

Opening Dates

Year	Section	Notes
1928	Evesham: Abbey Road and Abbey Bridge	The 0.5 mile bypass for Bridge Street was opened on 29 March 1928 by Wilfred Ashley, Minister of Transport. Abbey Bridge was built of ferro-concrete on the inducted bar system. It was a modified bowstring bridge with underslung roadway. River span was 110 feet with headroom of 13 feet above normal river level. Width was 42 feet with a 30 foot carriageway and 6 foot footpaths. The viaduct over the meadows was 486 foot long and built of 13 inch thick ferro-concrete slab on piles, with footpaths built out on cantilevers. Contractors for the bridge and parts of the approach roads was Thomas Vale and Sons Ltd. of Stourport, with the County Council completed the highway. Cost £40,000. Later renumbered A46 then A4184.
1969	Hollywood Bypass	Reported in the 10 July 1969 Birmingham Mail that a spokesman for the County Council had said "We hope to have the bypass open in August, but could in fact be later this month". 2.4 mile dual carriageway. Contractor was Peter Lind and Co. Ltd., cost £750,000.
1972	Wythall - Redditch dualling	The 5 mile dual carriageway from Station Road, Wythall to just south of Coventry Highway junction, Redditch was due to have opened on 22 August 1972 but a building workers' strike delayed the opening. Online with sections off line at Portway and Gorcott Hill. Cost £2 million.
1987	Evesham Eastern Bypass	The opening of the 4 mile single carriageway by Michael Spicer, MP for South Worcestershire, was reported by the Gloucestershire Echo of 22 July 1987. Works cost £7 million. Later renumbered A46 apart from the A46 to Evesham Road, Twyford connection at the north end which is A44.
1989	Sedgeberrow Bypass	The 1.4 mile road was completed in May 1989 (per the Trunk Roads, England, into the 1990's Report). Contractor was Mowlem Regional Construction Ltd. of Merseyside, outturn works cost £1.3 million. Later renumbered as A46.
1990	Alcester Bypass	The 3.5 mile road was opened on 16 October 1990 by Christopher Chope, Roads and traffic Minister. The A435 western bypass included 0.8 mile dual carriageway and a single carriageway bridge over River Arrow. The A422 southern bypass was later renumbered as A46. Contractor was Wrekin Construction Co. Ltd., contract cost £8.8 million, outturn cost £12.9 million.

Links

legislation.gov.uk

• The A435 Trunk Road (Warwickshire and Worcestershire) (Detrunking) Order 2007 - This detrunks the length of the road between the A46 and M42, following the publication of the 1998 paper A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England