A624
A624 | |||||||
Location Map ( geo) | |||||||
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From: | Chapel en le Frith (SK062815) | ||||||
To: | Glossop (SK034940) | ||||||
Via: | Hayfield | ||||||
Distance: | 8.9 miles (14.3 km) | ||||||
Meets: | A6, A6015, A6016, A57 | ||||||
Old route now: | A6, B5470 | ||||||
Highway Authorities | |||||||
Traditional Counties | |||||||
Route outline (key) | |||||||
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Route
The A624 is a north-south road passing to the west of the Peak District's Kinder Scout plateau.
Chapel en le Frith - Glossop
The road starts at a roundabout on the A6 Chapel bypass and heads west to another roundabout where it rejoins its original route. Some maps claim the road has a spur to the left into the town centre, ending on the B5470 (former A625) but the mainline of the road turns right and passes under the A6 immediately afterwards.
After passing under two railway bridges the road TOTSOs right at the B6062 junction to pass under the railway line immediately afterwards. The road crosses the moor before descending into Hayfield, where the A6015 comes in from the left on the speed-controlled throughpass. The road then climbs again before descending a long 10% gradient into Glossop. The road ends at a signalised crossroads in the town centre on the A57. Ahead is the B6105.
Original Author(s): Andy (Coasterjunkie)
History
The A624 was originally twice as long and followed what is now the A6 from Buxton to Chapel-en-le-Frith before picking up its current route there. The road was shortened to its current length after the need was identified for an easier route to Buxton for the main A6 road between Manchester and Derby, as the former route of the A6 (now the A5004), was inappropriate for large volumes of traffic and particularly large and heavy vehicles due to gradients. It was then decided that the A6 would take the former course of the A624 from Chapel-en-le-Frith and utilize the (now B5470) road between Whaley Bridge and Buxton. However a bypass was then built for Whaley Bridge and Chapel, avoiding the need for traffic to travel through either town.
Hayfield Relief Road was opened on 19 December 1978 per Hayfield Heritage Project (and a 25 years ago article in the Buxton Advertiser of 25 December 2003). Contractor was Galliford, cost £1 million.