Bewdley

Bewdley is a small riverside town in Worcestershire. The town centre contains many narrow streets lined with historic buildings and shop frontages. This charm was causing problems by the mid 20th century with regular traffic congestion on the A456 as it weaves its way through the town. In 1954 an inner bypass was planned to divert the A456 to the north of the town centre along with a new bridge providing a second crossing of the River Severn. There are also undated plans for alternative schemes which utilises the existing bridge. This also diverts part of the B4194 which relieves High Street of through traffic. Some existing roads would be pedestrianised and car parks are shown. Five different proposals were made and they vary only in the alignments of the new roads.

1954 scheme

Alternative undated scheme

By 1965 the idea of an inner bypass had been abandoned in favour of a southern bypass which would enable the A456 to completely avoid the town. This was promoted as a bypass for both Bewdley and Kidderminster. This would extend as far east as the A449 where it would meet a Kidderminster Eastern Bypass which was a central government scheme due to the A449 being a trunk road. The southern bypass of Bewdley opened in 1987 but the extension eastwards was never built even though provision was made for it in the 1990s Kidderminster, Blakedown and Hagley Bypass proposals.

1990s Kidderminster Bypass scheme which would have connected to the Bewdley Bypass providing a bypass for both towns

Routes

Several routes radiate from Bewdley.

Route	To	Notes
A456	Leominster
A456	Kidderminster
B4190	Wolverley
B4194	Kinlet, Highley
B4194	Ribbesford
B4195	Stourport