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| A449 road | |
| Length (miles) | 104 |
|---|---|
| Length (km) | 167.4 |
| Direction | North-South |
| Start | Stafford |
| Primary destinations1 |
Wolverhampton Kidderminster Worcester Ross-on-Wye |
| End | Newport |
| Roads joined |      ![]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Motorway_Right.svg){kind=small} M6 motorway J13 M5 motorway J6 M50 motorway J4 M4 motorway J24 A34 road A5 road A460 road A457 road A458 road A451 road A456 road A448 road A38 road A4440 road A417 road A40 road A472 road |
Notes
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The A449 is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from junction 24 of the M4 motorway at Newport in South Wales to Stafford in Staffordshire.
The southern section of the road, between Ross on Wye and Newport forms part of the trunk route from the English Midlands to South Wales, avoiding the Severn Bridge
Contents |
Route
Newport - Ross-on-Wye
The A449 starts on the M4 at the Coldra Interchange (J24) in Newport and is dual carriageway all the way to Raglan. The section from the A40 junction at Raglan to the A472 junction at Usk, known as the New Midlands Road, was one of the first sections to be dualled, opening on 16 October 1970. Between Raglan and Ross-on-Wye the A449 is concurrent with the A40.
Ross-on-Wye - Worcester
The road becomes quite twisty on departing Ross-on-Wye, but straightens out a little before arriving at Ledbury. The road turns northwards upon crossing into Worcestershire at Little Malvern and skirts the eastern slopes of the Malvern Hills through the town of Great Malvern. It then crosses Worcester's ring road, the A4440, at a roundabout near Powick.
Worcester - Wolverhampton
North of Worcester, a spur road of the same number heads towards the M5 Junction 6, while the main route continues towards Kidderminster, concurrent with the A38. Between Claines and Hartlebury the A449 is once again dual carriageway, but many safety improvements have left the road with a single lane each way and 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) speed restriction. The road becomes urban again while passing to the east of Kidderminster, forming a natural bypass for the town. It then heads north into Staffordshire, passing between Kinver and Stourbridge and crossing the A458 at Stourton. The A491 meets it just north of Kingswinford. Continuing northwards, it passes Wombourne (becoming dual carriageway once more) before turning sharply north-east into the outskirts of Wolverhampton and meeting the Ring Road.
Wolverhampton - Stafford
The road resumes its journey northwards, passing Wolverhampton Wanderers' football ground and leaving the city just south of Junction 2 of the M54. From there it forms part of the link between the M54 and the M6 North. It crosses the A5 at the Gailey Roundabout near the village of Gailey, a short distance west of M6 Junction 12, at which point it reverts to a single carriageway. It passes through Penkridge before crossing the M6 at Junction 13, reaching its terminus at its junction with the A34 in Stafford.
Former Routes
- The original routing of the road was from Bromsgrove - Stourbridge - Wolverhampton - Stafford
- The villages of Hartlebury and Ombersley have been bypassed
- Part of Ledbury is now bypassed
- Between Raglan and Newport the A449 used to run along a now mostly unclassified road to the west, terminating at junction 25 of the M4
External links
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
