Redditch

Redditch is a new town and Primary Destination to the south of Birmingham, straddling the border between Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The road network of the town is entirely managed by Worcestershire County Council.

Highways and Drives

The road network of the new town is split into major routes called Highway and local distributors called Drive. The major routes are Alcester Highway, Alvechurch Highway, Bromsgrove Highway, Coventry Highway, Henley Highway* and Warwick Highway. The roads are named after the towns they point towards. *Henley Highway ran eastwards from the Redditch Cloverleaf and then was to head north to join Coventry Highway. The northern extension towards Coventry Highway was never built and the existing section of Henley Highway was absorbed into Warwick Highway. The Henley Highway name is no longer in use.

History

Redditch was designated a new town in 1964 and plans for the new road network were developed between 1967 and the early 1970s by the Development Corporation. The major roads were to be built to dual carriageway standard with grade separated junctions and were to be complemented by a network of local distributors, some also having grade separated junctions. The plans evolved during this period with many of the junctions receiving several alternative designs and slight alterations of the alignment of some of the roads before the final design was established.

The new town never reached its anticipated size and many of the roads were never built. The last section still awaiting construction was the Henley Highway northern extension which was finally cancelled in the 1980s. The eastbound carriageway approaching the roundabout with Warwick Highway was on a sweeping curve to allow for the construction of a trumpet interchange. The abandonment of the northern extension meant the sharp curve could be straightened and a Morrisons supermarket now occupies the land within the curve, the outline of which is still visible in aerial images.

1968 proposals for Redditch

The 1968 proposals are the only plans of the entire town to be found so far so this is what the map is based on. As route numbering is not shown on any of the plans the road numbers currently in use have been applied to roads running along the respective corridors.

The A435 was a Trunk Road at the time and responsibly lay outside the Development Corporation as well as being across the county border in Warwickshire. However there were separate plans to upgrade the A435 and the preferred design is shown on the 1968 plans.

Opening Dates

Warwick Highway

Stage 1 - Studley Road to Birmingham Road (A435) was opened in 1970 per the Birmingham Daily Post of 26 February 1976. The 16 October 1971 edition also mentioned that it had been built. The section west of Icknield Street Roundabout was dual carriageway and initially known as Henley Highway. The eastern half mile was online.

Coventry Highway

Initially known as Ravensmere Primary. Stage 1 was a 2 mile dual carriageway from a temporary roundabout with Marfield Lane (then B4497) to A435 south of Gorcott Hill. Opened on 8 December 1972 by Reginald Eyre, Under-secretary at the Department of Environment.

Alvechurch Highway

The 3.3 mile north - south road through central Redditch from Birmingham Road to Rough Hill Drive was opened on 23 January 1978 by J.H.T. Cotterill, Hereford and Worcester County Council Councillor. Dual carriageway apart from 0.2 mile at north end. Contractor was Galliford and Sons Ltd. of Wolvey, tender price £6 million (then their largest contract), total cost £8 million.

Routes

Several routes radiate from Redditch.

Route	To	Notes
A435	Birmingham
A435	Evesham, Stratford (A46)	and Stratford via A46
A441	Birmingham
A441	Evesham	Does not make it to Evesham, it gives up after Astwood Bank and continues as the B4088
A448	Bromsgrove, Worcester (A38)
A4023	Coventry (M42)	Only travels a short distance to meet the A435
A4189	Warwick
A4023	Coventry	Now the B4101
B4093	Studley
B4101	Hockley Heath	And on to Coventry (unsigned, formerly the A4023
B4184	Tardebigge	And on to Bromsgrove Former route of the A448
B4497	Beoley
B4095	Warwick	now A4189
M42	The NORTH WEST, The SOUTH WEST Worcester, Wolverhampton
M42	London, Coventry