A6
A6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location Map ( geo) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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From: | Luton (TL096211) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To: | Carlisle (NY402556) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance: | 299 miles (481.2 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Meets: | (M1), M61, M6, A1081, A14 A50, A38, A591, A590, A7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Primary Destinations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leicester • Bedford • Luton • Buxton • Loughborough • Carlisle • Stockport • Kettering • Manchester • Derby • Market Harborough • Penrith • Kendal • Lancaster • Matlock • Preston • Salford • East Midlands Airport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highway Authorities | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cumberland • Derby • National Highways • Lancashire • Leicester • Manchester • Salford • Stockport • Cheshire East • Bolton • Derbyshire • Leicestershire • North Northamptonshire • Luton • Bedford • Central Bedfordshire • Westmorland and Furness | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Counties | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bedfordshire • Cheshire • Cumberland • Derbyshire • Lancashire • Leicestershire • Westmorland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Route outline (key) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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For the similarly numbered road in Northern Ireland, see A6 (Northern Ireland).
Route
The A6 is Britain's fourth longest road. Its route varies greatly from the lower lands of the South East, though the Peak District, right though the heart of Manchester city centre, then onwards towards Preston. It then goes though the historic city of Lancaster before skirting the Eastern fringe of the Lake District before ending in Carlisle, bang on the start of the A7.
The London-Inverness trunk road, created in 1936, followed the A6 from South Mimms to Carlisle.
See route sections: Luton - Bedford • Bedford - Kettering • Kettering - Leicester • Leicester - Derby • Derby - Matlock • Matlock - Hazel Grove • Hazel Grove - Manchester • Manchester - Preston • Preston - Lancaster • Lancaster - Kendal • Kendal - Penrith • Penrith - Carlisle
History
At classification, the A6 was made Britain's second longest road and therefore England's longest. Its start was at Barnet at London and then moved to Bignell's Corner with the opening of the Barnet Bypass. In 1986, the M25 opened and the road was shortened by 17 miles. That made the A38 and A30 roads longer and relegated the A6 down to fourth place.
Notable locations and improvements
Walton Bridge
Walton Bridge is the bridge the A6 crosses the River Ribble in Preston.
Shap summit
Shap summit at 426m (1,397 feet) was a formidable climb between Kendal and Penrith prior to the opening of M6
Opening Dates
Year | Section | Notes |
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1927 | Heversham and Leasgill Bypass | The 1.2 mile Princes Way was opened on 29 June 1927 by the Prince of Wales (future King Edward VIII). It was 60 feet wide with a 30 foot carriageway and footpath. The scheme cost was £38,117. |
1928 | Bolton-le-Sands Bypass | The 1,334 yard road was opened on 6 September 1928 by Alderman J.T. Travis-Clegg. It was 50 foot wide with a 30 foot carriageway. A new re-inforced concrete bridge with 30 foot span was built over the Lancaster Canal. Contractor was John Dickinson & Co (Bolton) Ltd. Cost was £48,918 with 50% funded by Ministry of Transport. Named Bye-Pass Road. |
1928 | Garstang Bypass | Opened on 22 October 1928 by Sir Henry Maybury, Director General of Roads. It was 60 foot wide with a 30 foot carriageway. Forecast cost was £105,000. The southern section used the former B5271 and part of A586 which was widened, along with Kirkland Bridge, and had 2 new short deviations. The northern section from Cathouses to the Lancaster Road was a 1.3 mile new build. |
1932 | Oadby Bypass | The 0.7 mile single carriageway road from Glen Road to Regent Street was opened in January 1932 (per an accident inquest report of 1935) although there are reports of use in October 1931. Planned cost was £37,716. The road was dualled in late 1936/ early 1937. |
1932 | Irthlingborough Bypass | It was reported on 28 October 1932 that a census taken 3 weeks after opening recorded 813 vehicles passing the village cross compared to 1747 a few weeks before the bypass opened. |
1932 | High Hesket Bypass | The 0.8 mile road was open by May 1932. It may possibly have been completed in 1931, although work only started in June 1931. It was a part of a widening and improvement scheme from Plumpton to Carlisle, costing £98,700. |
1933 | Ashford-in-the-Water | The bypass was opened on 6 February 1933 by the Duke of Devonshire. Cost was £27,234 |
1934 | Blackrod Bypass | The 2.25 mile bypass was opened on 20 April 1934 by Oliver Stanley, Minister of Transport. Width was 60 feet with a 30 foot carriageway. Amazingly, it was reported that the cost was £50,000 less than the £130,000 estimate, due to the efficient work of the unemployed men of Blackrod. |
1936 | Haynes West End Bypass | The 1.34 miles from Wilstead Hill (Lark Hill) to Deadman’s Hill was completed in February 1936. Estimated cost £26,443. The widening of the 2.17 mile Silsoe to Barton section was completed at the same time. |
1936 | Irthlingborough Viaduct | The 31 span concrete viaduct over River Nene and railway was opened on 23 October 1936 by Leslie Hore-Belisha, Minister of Transport. Length was 1,360 feet and width between parapets 40 feet. Bridge contractor was A.E. Farr of London with the rest of the scheme being completed by Council direct labour. Estimated cost £55,750. It formed a southern extension of Irthlingborough Bypass (opened 1932) and bypassed the railway level crossing. |
1939 | Clophill Bridge Diversion | Reported by the Luton News and Bedfordshire Advertiser of 1 June 1939 to be in use. It had been reported as under construction in June 1938. On 1939 OS Quarter inch map. |
1957 | Cavendish Bridge | Replacement to 1771 bridge, which collapsed on 21 March 1947 following floods, and temporary Bailey Bridge in the interim. Included a bypass to village. Cost £300,000. Opened 3 September 1957 by Sir Robert Martin, Chairman, Leicestershire County Council. First bridge in country constructed of prestressed concrete. |
1958 | London Colney Bypass | The 2.5 mile dual carriageway was opened on 8 November 1958 by R.A. Butler, Home Secretary. The carriageways were 24 feet wide and designed to take up to 15,000 vehicles per day. Contractor was John Laing and Son Ltd, cost £400,000. It was to be extended at both ends to form a dual carriageway from Hampstead to the former M10. Renumbered as A1081 in 1986. |
1962 | South Mimms Bypass | The 1.5 mile road was to be opened on 26 July 1962 by John Hay, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport. It completed nearly 13 miles of dual carriageway on one of the main approaches to London from the M1 (via M10 spur). Also included was a 0.4 mile diversion of A1081 to the southern roundabout, south of the original Bignells Corner. Contractor was John Laing, cost £0.5 million. Later converted to M25. |
1962 | Barton-le-Clay Diversion | The bypass of Bedford Road between Sharpenhoe Road and Hexton Road was opened on 14 August 1962. The road had been finished for some time but was not opened until it was lighted. Cost £20,000. Later renumbered B655. |
1972 | Lancaster: Greyhound Bridge | The bridge over the River Lune was opened on 29 November 1972 by Mrs D. Henderson, Mayor of Lancaster. It was the second crossing of the river and was a conversion of a railway bridge that had been built in 1911. Cost £549,529. It formed a one-way gyratory with Skerton Bridge and multiplex with A589. |
1975 | Wilstead Bypass | Opened on 4 December 1975 per the Land Compensation Act notice. Formerly shown on OS maps as Wilshamstead. Another scheme in the 1970-75 Ministry of Transport programme was from Wilstead to the top of Wilstead Hill but at this stage it is unclear when this was carried out. |
1981 | Silsoe Bypass | Biggleswade Chronicle of Friday 13 February 1981 reported that it was to open on Monday or Tuesday, weather permitting. Cost £1.6 million. |
1982 | Elstow Bypass | Opened in November 1982 by Trevor Skeet, MP for Bedford and cost £2.5 million per Virtual Library Elstow timeline. Construction had started by 5 April 1982 per Hansard. Contractor was Henry Boot Civil Engineering Ltd.. The section north of the later A421 Bedford Southern Bypass was renumbered A5141. |
1987 | Chapel-en-le-Frith and Whaley Bridge Bypass | The 4.5 mile dual carriageway was opened on 11 August 1987 by Peter Bottomley, Minister for Roads. Contractor was Tarmac Construction Ltd. The increase in costs was brought up in Parliament on 29 July 1988. The tender cost after the inflation clause increase was £20 million but the certified payment to the contractor was £33.66 million. Unexpected ground conditions was given as the reason. |
1990 | Barton-le-Clay Bypass | The 1.3 mile D2 dual carriageway was opened on 2 October 1990 by Lord Brabazon of Tara, Minister of State for Transport. Outturn total cost £11.8 million. |
1991 | Burton Latimer Bypass | The 1.8 mile single carriageway road from the Kettering Southern Bypass (A14 J10) to Higham Road was opened on 12 October 1991 by Roger Freeman, MP for Kettering. Contractor was Balfour Beatty, tender cost £2.63 million, total cost £3.2 million. The plan showed a direct connection to the A14 J10 roundabout. The Black Lodge improvement, an offline section to the south of the bypass, was completed at the same time. |
1991 | Quorn and Mountsorrel Bypass | The 5 mile dual carriageway road was opened on 28 October 1991. Contractor was Tarmac and cost was £43.329 million. It included Britain's longest box culverting operation. A third of the road passed over the River Soar floodplain which meant that more than 3,500 concrete culverts, each weighing 12 tonnes, had to be laid underneath the road. |
1992 | Market Harborough Bypass | The 5.3 mile single carriageway road from B6047 Melton Road to Desborough Road was opened on 26 June 1992 by Roger Freeman, Minister for Transport. Contractor was Birse Construction Ltd., tender cost £7.87 million, outturn cost £9.53 million. |
2002 | Clapham Bypass | Paula Radcliffe Way. The 3.4 mile dual carriageway opened on 12 December 2002. A road race and fun run was held on the road on 8 December 2002. It included 2 bridges over River Great Ouse and 3 other bridges. Contractors were Nuttall and Norwest Holst. |
2003 | Great Glen Bypass | The 3.5 mile road was opened on 19 February 2003 by David Jamieson, Transport Minister. Contractor was Skansa, contract price £12 million, outturn cost £21 million. Dual carriageway apart from 0.6 mile. When work started in early Spring 2001 the foot and mouth disease restrictions prevented any material being taken off site for the first few months of construction and a robust system of cleaning and disinfecting all site plant took place. |
2003 | Luton Inner Ring Road | North-east Phase 1 – New Bedford Road to Old Bedford Road, and the new railway underbridge on the eastern side to create the Telford Way / New Bedford Road gyratory. Due to open on 13 April 2003 per the Dunstable Gazette of 9 April 2003. It opened as one way in the eastbound direction. |
2003 | Rothwell and Desborough Bypass | The 3.7 mile road from A14 J3 Orton to Hermitage was opened on 14 August 2003 by David Jamieson, Under-secretary of State for Transport. Outturn cost was £19 million. |
2003 | Rushden and Higham Ferrers Bypass | The 3.4 mile road from A45 J18 Chowns Mill to Bedford Road was opened on 14 August 2003 by David Jamieson, Under-secretary of State for Transport, per Rushden Heritage. It also included the A5001 Link Road, John Clark Way. Outturn cost was £16 million. |
2003 | Alvaston Bypass | The 1.4 mile dual carriageway from A5111 Raynesway to Thulston Roundabout opened on 17 December 2003. Cost £10 million. |
2014 | Loughborough Inner Relief Road | Jubilee Way, from Baxter Gate to Barrow Street, was opened on 3 March 2014 by Nick Rushton, leader of Leicestershire County Council, to complete the Relief Road. Contractor was Ringway Infrastructure Services, cost £8.3 million. |
2014 | Luton Inner Ring Road | North-east Phase 2 – Old Bedford Road to St Marys Roundabout completed the Ring Road. The official opening on 14 July 2014 by Baroness Kramer, Transport Minister was in advance of the road’s completion. There were later phased openings with the Hucklesby Way section opening on 20 August 2014. Single carriageway, except for the dualling between St Marys and Crawley Green Road. It included a tunnel under the railway station multi storey car park. Cost £24 million. |
2016 | Bedford Western Bypass | Phase 2 - north section. The 1.5 mile single carriageway road and cyclepath/ footpath from A4280 Bromham Road to A6 Clapham Road was opened on 25 April 2016 by Dave Hodgson, Mayor of Bedford. It completed the Western Bypass. Contractor was Breheny Civil Engineering Ltd., cost £18.6 million. Named The Great Ouse Way. |
2017 | Broughton Bypass | James Towers Way, named after a local WW1 hero. The 1.25 mile road was opened on 5 October 2017 by Jake Berry, Northern Powerhouse Minister. The section south of B5269 was dual carriageway. Contractor was Hochtief, cost £32 million. |
2018 | Kegworth Bypass | The 1.3 mile single carriageway road to the south of the village from London Road to A453 Ashby Road opened on 14 November 2018 with a small local ceremony. It included a new bridge over M1 which comprised 1200 tonnes of steel and concrete and was built using pioneering modular construction methods. Funding was by SEGRO as part of road improvements around the SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway. |
Links
- Roads.org.uk: Raynesway Park Junction
- roadsUK: Route Guide
- Route 6 site
- Kibworth bypass proposals October 2017
legislation.gov.uk
- The A6 Trunk Road (Leicester to M1 Motorway) (Detrunking) Order 2004 - this detrunks a section of the A6 following the 1998 paper A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England
- The A6 Trunk Road (South of Leicester to A14) (Detrunking) Order 2004 - this detrunks a section of the A6 following the 1998 paper A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England
- The A6 Trunk Road (Bedford to the A45) (Detrunking) Order 2003 - this detrunks a section of the A6 following the 1998 paper A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England
- The A6 Trunk Road (Derby to Stockport) (Detrunking) Order 2002 - this detrunks a section of the A6 following the 1998 paper A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England
- The A6 Trunk Road (South of Kettering to the A45) (Detrunking) Order 2001 - this detrunks a section of the A6 following the 1998 paper A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England
- The A6 Trunk Road (Bedford to Luton) (Detrunking) Order 2001 - this detrunks a section of the A6 following the 1998 paper A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England
- The A6 Trunk Road (Levens Slip Road) (Detrunking) Order 2002 - this removes trunk status from a section of the A6 used as a one way southbound sliproad from the A591 to the village of Levens