B3170

Route

The B3170 near Taunton Racecourse

Although one end is on the A38 and the other on the A303, the B3170, which crosses the Blackdown Hills south of Taunton, is little more than a local road.

It begins at a complex set of one-way roads and junctions on the A38 in Taunton and makes its way through the suburbs, passing houses and a couple of colleges on its way. At this point, like most urban B-roads, it is S2 and carries a 30 mph speed limit. Once it crosses the M5 and passes the main HQ for Heart Taunton (formerly known as Orchard FM), the limit increases to 40 mph and the road becomes rural in character.

After passing Taunton Racecourse (the road's only real cause for congestion once out of Taunton proper), the limit increases again to NSL, and we reach the village of Corfe, small but signposted as there is little else along this road. At the southern end of Corfe the route, which has been more-or-less flat up to this point, begins to climb steeply up into the Blackdown Hills. To avoid running straight up a hill, the road winds through Whitford before reaching a crossroads near the top of the ridge. The road then descends slightly via Brown Down to the county boundary before bending round to meet the A303 at Stopgate.

History

The road originally continued to what is now the A30/A303 TOTSO junction near Upottery. This section was renumbered to A3079 when that route was created in the 1930s and has been part of the A303 since 1933.