 |
|
| A47 road | |
| Direction | |
| Start | Aston University, Birmingham |
| Primary destinations1 |
Nuneaton Hinckley Leicester Peterborough Wisbech King's Lynn Swaffham Norwich |
|---|---|
| End | Great Yarmouth |
| Roads joined | |
Notes
|
|
The A47 is a trunk road in England originally linking Birmingham to Great Yarmouth. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114.
Contents |
Route
From west to east, the road starts in Birmingham heading for Nuneaton (most of which is the B4114) before passing Hinckley, Earl Shilton and through Leicester where it is subsumed into an inner ring-road. From there it passes through Uppingham before arriving into Peterborough. Here it forms Soke Parkway, a part of Peterborough's Parkway road system. It passes through the city as a grade-separated dual carriageway, in contrast to the single carriageway route from Leicester. After Peterborough the road continues to Wisbech and on into King's Lynn. The road then heads east passing Swaffham, Dereham and bypassing Norwich to the south on what is now the southern by-pass (previously formed the outer ring road). It then passes Blofield and Acle before reaching its final destination at Great Yarmouth.
History
The original (1923) route of the A47 was Birmingham to Great Yarmouth, but there were some changes made to its route in the early years. At its eastern end, the A47 originally ran through Filby and Caister, with the Acle Straight bearing the number B1140. The A47 was rerouted along the Acle straight in 1935, with the old route being renumbered as the A1064 (Acle to Caister) and part of the A149 (Caister to Great Yarmouth).
The second change also dates from 1935. The A47 originally ran via Downham Market, not King's Lynn. In 1935, it was rerouted via King's Lynn, replacing part of the A141 (Wisbech to King's Lynn) and part of the A17 (King's Lynn to Swaffham). The old route via Downham Market was renumbered as the A1122 (Outwell to Swaffham) and part of the A1101 (Wisbech to Outwell).
The third change took place some time before 1932. The original route of the A47 between Guyhirne and Wisbech was via Wisbech St Mary, with the direct route being part of the A141. This is because there was no road bridge over the River Nene at Guyhirne, and hence no junction between the A47 and the A141. Some time between 1923 and 1932 a bridge was built, and the A47 and the A141 swapped routes between Guyhirne and Wisbech.
Major improvements were made from the late 1970s until early in the 1990s. The seven-mile £5 million part-dual-carriageway East Dereham Bypass built on part of the disused railway line was opened in spring 1978 followed by a five-mile part-dual-carriageway Swaffham Bypass, costing £5 million which was opened in June 1981. Bypasses for Uppingham (£1.4 million) and Blofield (£4 million) were opened in 1982 and 1983 respectively. The southern section of the Great Yarmouth Western Bypass was opened in May 1985 and the northern section in March 1986 at a cost of £19 million followed by improvements to the one-mile Postwick-Blofield section (£1.2 million) which was opened in November 1987. In 1989 Acle Bypass was completed as a cost of £7.1 million and the £1.2 million East Norton Bypass was opened in December 1990. The three-mile £9 million East Dereham-North Tuddenham Improvement opened in August 1992 and the £62 illionm Norwich southern Bypass in September 1992.
Escalating road protests starting with Twyford Down in 1992 and culminating with the Newbury bypass in 1996 (at which over 1,000 people were arrested)[1] led to over 300 road schemes were cancelled in November 1995[2] and to further scheme including the Thorney bypass[3]) by the new Labour government in 1997.[4][5]
In 2002 the government announced a new road building programme[6] which included the three-mile dual-carriageway Thorney bypass which opened on 14 December 2005.
Proposed Improvements
A47 Acle Straight
 Route of the proposed A47 Acle Straight scheme |
|
| Location | Norfolk |
|---|---|
| Proposer | Norfolk County Council |
| Geometry | KML |
A study on the A47 which concluded in 2001 looked at improving the section of the A47 between Acle and Great Yarmouth known as the Acle Straight.[7] The improvement of the Acle Straight has become a point of contention between interested parties due to its passage through the Norfolk Broads, an area of important ecological and conservation significance that limits development. The study which recommended widening rather than dualling of the Acle Straight was opposed by the Broadland District Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Norfolk Police Authority and the majority of local respondents who believed that dualling of the road is necessary to improve road safety, decrease journey time and support the economic development of Great Yarmouth. Dualling was however strongly opposed by the Environment Agency, the Council for National Parks (CNP) and the Broads Authority due to its impact on biodiversity and internationally important wildlife sites. These parties did cautiously support further investigation into the option for widening following further investigation of its environmental impact.[8]
Acle Straight safety improvement scheme
In 2006 a program of safety improvement for the Acle Straight were announced. This would include road resurfacing, better road markings, improved visibility and the installation of safety cameras at an estimated total cost of £1.6 million. The result would then be monitored whilst long term improvements, such as widening, are considered.[9] In October 2009 after it was announced that a £40,000 feasibility study, to see whether roadside ditches along the nine-mile stretch could be moved further back without disturbing delicate marshland habitat had been delayed until autumn 2010 at the earliest.[10]
Norwich Northern Distributor Road
A controversial £117 million road scheme to the north of Norwich linking the A1067 road and Norwich International Airport to the A47. It is a priority scheme for Norfolk County Council and also for the East of England Regional Assembly but it is also attracting strong opposition both locally and from environmental groups.[11]
A47 to A1067 Link Road
Norfolk County Council are developing a proposal for a link road between the A47 and A1067 in the area between Hockering and Lenwade.[12] Five different route options have been proposed which range from 1.5 km to 3.4 km of new road construction and an estimated construction cost of between £5.8 million - £9.1 million.[13] Public consultation on the proposal was held between July and September 2007 with the most support given to Option 1 with positive responses from residents, businesses and Parish and District Councils. Although costing more than £5 million the scheme does not meet any of the targets of the Local Transport Plan and so does not qualify for regional funding. Funding for the scheme must therefore be found by the County Council. [14] As of July 2009, no further progress on the proposal has been announced.
A47 Blofield to North Burlingham Dualling
There was a proposal to dual a stretch of the A47 between the outskirts of the town of Blofield and North Burlingham. However, following a regional funding submission in February 2009 the proposal was withdrawn[15]. The proposed road scheme would have been approximately 4 km in length and was estimated to cost £37.5 million in June 2007[16].
Route
 |
This section is written like a personal reflection or essay and may require cleanup. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (April 2008) |
Birmingham to Nuneaton
Starting from the junction with the A441 (James Watt) near Aston University as the dual-carriageway Jennens Road, it meets the A4540 Middleway (middle ring road) one mile from the centre of Birmingham becoming Nechells Parkway. It leads in a north-easterly direction meeting the B4132 at a roundabout becoming Saltley Road, is crossed by the Chase Line and meets the B4114 at a roundabout. A new section of road begins as the Heartlands Parkway, following the Cross Country Route and River Rea. It meets a roundabout and there is a roundabout with the B4137 at Nechells (for Star City). It runs more or less parallel to the M6 for about three miles, crossing the railway at the Washwood Heath Viaduct. It meets the A4040 at a large roundabout which passes under the M6. It meets two roundabouts close to Fort Dunlop and terminating at junction 5 of the M6 with the A452.
The route leading to Nuneaton was known as the A47 until 1986, when it was renumbered following the completion of the M42. [1]
Nuneaton to Leicester
At Nuneaton the road re-emerges as Hinckley Road from a junction with the A444, near the railway station. Leaving Nuneaton, it passes North Warwickshire and Hinckley College on the left, it meets the A4254 at a roundabout and the A5 Watling Street near the Longshoot Hotel. It follows the A5 for a half-mile entering Leicestershire and the district of Hinckley and Bosworth, then leaves at a roundabout to bypass Hinckley as Dodwells Road then Normandy Way. The former route continues as the B4666. This section passes through a large industrial estate and close to a Tesco, crossing the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal. It meets a roundabout near the Triumph motorbike factory. It meets the A447 and B4667 at crossroads, then meets the B4668 former route at a roundabout, becoming Leicester Road then Carrs Hill. This section to Leicester runs parallel with the M69. It passes close to Barwell, then enters Earl Shilton as Hinckley Road, passing the Heathfield High School, meeting the B581 near the Lord Nelson.
The road forms the boundary between the Hinckley and Bosworth district and Blaby district as Hinckley Road at Long Spinneys, where the road has cycle lanes on either side. The Earl Shilton bypass is being built and joins the road here. At a right turn for Thurlaston, the road enters the district of Blaby, and there is a left turn for Desford and the large Caterpillar factory. It passes through Leicester Forest West and the Bulls Head on the right and near to the B582 crossroads, there is the BP Desford garage. It climbs up a hill and enters Leicester Forest East, crossing the M1 near the service station. It passes the Red Cow Hotel on the left and enters the City of Leicester at the B5380 junction. There is a busy roundabout with the A563 Leicester outer ring-road. Braunstone Park and the Braunstone Leisure Centre is passed on the right. It crosses a railway and passes Western Park. Entering the city centre, it becomes King Richard's Road then Saint Augustine Road and crosses the River Soar and the Grand Union Canal.
Leicester to A1
Leaving Leicester, it becomes Humberstone Road, then Uppingham Road. It passes under the Midland Main Line and meets the A6030, becoming part of the Leicester outer ring road. At Humberstone, beyond the A563 junctiont he road enters Leicestershire and the district of Harborough, passing Bushby and climbs Winkerdale Hill.
The road travels through Thurnby and Houghton on the Hill and heads down Palace Hill with a right turn for Gaulby then crosses the River Sence. The two-mile £2.5 million three-lane Billesdon Bypass opened in October 1986. It meets the B6047 (for Tilton on the Hill) at crossroads then passes through Skeffington then heads through Tugby, which is traversed by the Midshires Way. It winds its way towards the one-kilometre £1.2 million East Norton Bypass, which opened in December 1990. It heads down a hill as three lanes and crosses the Eye Brook and from here the next ten miles are in Rutland. There is a left turn for Belton-in-Rutland and a right turn for Allexton. The two-mile £1.9 million Wardley Hill Improvement opened in October 1987; the road heads to Uppingham. The one-and-a-half-mile £1.4 million Uppingham Bypass opened in June 1982. This is the home of Uppingham School. It meets the A6003 (for Oakham) at a roundabout and passes through Glaston, passing over the tunnel of the Oakham to Kettering Line. Near to Morcott the road meets the A6121 and B672, and a windmill. The road crosses the River Welland. The Duddington Bypass, where the road enters Northamptonshire and the district of East Northamptonshire, opened in 1975. This section has a busy roundabout where it meets the south-west/north-east corridor A43. From here to the A1, the road goes close to the runway of RAF Wittering, where the road enters the borough of Peterborough.
A1 - Kings Lynn
The road formerly went through Wansford, further to the south. The £250,000 dual-carriageway Wansford North Bypass opened in January 1965. There is a right-turn for Sutton. It is crossed by the Roman road Ermine Street. The dual-carriageway £9 million Ailsworth-Castor Bypass opened in September 1991. Around Peterborough, the Peterborough Longthorpe Grade separated junction (GSJ) opened in December 1987 where it meets the A1260. There is a GSJ for Bretton and a Sainsbury's, and it passes the Edith Cavell Hospital. The £1.2 million Peterborough Westwood GSJ opened in January 1987 near Ravensthorpe. This section of road is called the Soke Parkway (named after the Soke of Peterborough). When this was first built, in the mid-1970s, the A47 followed what is now the A1139 Paston Parkway.
It crosses the East Coast Main Line and meets the A15 at New England near to a Morrisons (former Safeway), and Boulevard and Brotherhood retail parks at Walton to the north and New England to the south. There is another GSJ near Paston to the north and it meets the other strand of the A15 at a GSJ near Gunthorpe. It meets the A1139 at a roundabout and crosses the Car Dyke. The three-mile £7.2 million Eye Bypass opened as Eye Road in October 1991, diverting traffic from the Paston Parkway, and partly built on the former Peterborough to Wisbech railway. There is a roundabout with the A1073 (for Crowland) at Eye Green near the Esso Eye Green Service Station, a Travelodge and the Peterborough Eye Little Chef on the right, where it becomes Thorney Road, the The Causeway. The landscape becomes very flat known as The Fens. A three-mile dual-carriageway bypass of Thorney opened on December 14 2005. The road meets the B1040 and B1167 at roundabouts. Near Thorney Toll, the road enters Cambridgeshire and the district of Fenland near the New Toll Service Station. The straight road finishes at Guyhirn, meeting the B1187 and crossing and following the River Nene and the Nene Way. The half-mile £3.7 million Guyhirn Diversion opened in October 1990. The road heads north-east, following the east bank of the River Nene. The five-mile £6 million Wisbech/West Walton Bypass opened in autumn 1984. The former route leaves as the B198 at a roundabout. It meets a level crossing, and it enters Norfolk and the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk just before a roundabout with the A1101 for Elm and Emneth at the Elme Hall Hotel. It passes the Total Wisbech Services and the Wisbech Little Chef then meets the old route (B198) at a roundabout and becomes the six-mile £23 million dual-carriageway Walpole Highway/Tilney High End Bypass which opened in summer 1996. There is an exit for Walpole Highway, and another for Terrington St John. It passes near Tilney High End. Near Tilney All Saints, it meets the old route at a roundabout, becoming the single cariageway Main Road, then Pullover Road. It meets the end of the A17 at a large roundabout and the West Lynn Little Chef.
Kings Lynn - Great Yarmouth
From Kings Lynn, the road goes over the River Great Ouse and Fen Rivers Way, near to some sugar beet factories on a very busy concrete dual-carriageway built in 1975. It meets the A148 at a GSJ. The A10 and the A149 have their terminus here, at the Hardwick Flyover (opened on October 30 2003) near the large Hardwick Industrial Estate (home of Campbell's Soup) and a Ramada Hotel. It becomes Constitution Hill, passing North Runcton then Middleton, where it passes the Crown and St Mary's church as Lynn Road. Next is East Winch, where it passes All Saints's church, then West Bilney where it passes St Cecilia's church. Th former Kings Lynn-Swaffham railway crossed at this point. There is a right-turn for Pentney and it meets the B1153 for East Walton. The half-mile £2.8 million Narborough Bypass, opened in November 1992, where the road crosses the River Nar and enters the district of Breckland. There is a straight section to where it meets the A1122 (for RAF Marham) at a roundabout at the start of the five-mile £5 million part-dual-carriageway Swaffham Bypass, which opened in June 1981. There is an exit for Swaffham, and a GSJ with the A1065 (for Fakenham). It passes some wind turbines and there is a roundabout where it joins the former route just before it is crossed by the Peddars Way. There is a left turn for Sporle and it passes Necton then heads north-west through Little Fransham, passing the Canary and Linnet, with a left turn for Crane's Corner. The seven-mile £5 milliom part-dual-carriageway East Dereham Bypass opened in spring 1978, which was built on part of the disused railway line, crosses over a level crossing on the Mid-Norfolk Railway. It passes near Wendling and St Peter and St Paul church then meets the B1146 (for Dereham) and A1075 (for Shipdham) near a Tesco supermarket and B1135. The B1147 leaves for Swanton Morley. The three-mile £9 million East Dereham-North Tuddenham Improvement opened in August 1992, which passes North Tuddenham. It bypasses Hockering. It enters the district of Broadland at the start of the bypass of Honingham, where it crosses the River Tud. Just before the roundabout at Easton, it enters the district of South Norfolk. The dual-carriageway £62 million Norwich Bypass opened in September 1992. At the Longwater Intersection, the A1074 follows the former route through Norwich near the Longwater Retail Park and Sainsbury's. Near Bawburgh, it crosses the River Yare. There is a GSJ with the B1108, for Little Melton and Colney. At Cringleford, it meets the A11 at the Thickthorn Interchange and Total Thickthorn Services with the Norwich Little Chef and crosses the Breckland Line. Near Keswick Hall, it meets the A140 at a GSJ near a Tesco, then crosses the Great Eastern Main Line. It is crossed by Boudica's Way, then meets the A146 at a GSJ. It crosses the River Yare again at the Postwick Viaduct and enters the district of Broadland. It crosses the Wherry Line and meets the A1042 at a GSJ. The section from the end of this bypass to Blofield, the one-mile £1.2 million Postwick-Blofield Dualling, was opened in November 1987. There is a left turn to Great Plumstead. The one-mile £4 million dual-carriageway Blofield Bypass opened in February 1983, which starts at a roundabout for Brundall near the Total Broadlands Services and the Broadlands Little Chef. It becomes single carriageway and passes North Burlingham near the staggered White House crossroads with the B1140. The three-mile £7.1 million dual-carriageway Acle Bypass opened in March 1989, which ends at a roundabout with the A1048 near a Travelodge and the Acle Little Chef, becoming the single carriageway New Road. From Acle, the road enters the infamous Acle Straight which is nearly seven miles of dead straight and near level single carriageway all the way to Great Yarmouth, with just one curve at Road House Diner. The road is notorious for congestion, especially during the holiday season, and also for the number of accidents, which due to the drainage ditches on either side of the road are often fatal, and demands for dualling have been heard for many years, although there are no current plans to go ahead with this. It enters the district of Great Yarmouth, then passes close to Breydon Water. The northern section of the two-mile £19 million Great Yarmouth Western Bypass (A12) opened in March 1986, and the southern section opened in May 1985.
References
- ^ "Environemnal protest groups". The Making for the Modern World. http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/stories/the_age_of_ambivalence/02.ST.06/?scene=4&tv=true. Retrieved 2008-01-16.
- ^ "Protest Culture - history". Protest Culture. http://protestculture.org/history.html. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
- ^ "Thorney bypass". http://www.malcmoss.easynet.co.uk/speeches/thorneybypass.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
- ^ "A new deal for transport: better for everyone". Department for Transport. http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers/previous/anewdealfortransportbetterfo5695. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
- ^ Iain Docherty (ed.), Jon Shaw (ed.) (August 2003). A New Deal for Transport: The UK's Struggle with the Sustainable Transport Agenda. Blackwell. ISBN 140510631X.
- ^ "Select Committee on Transport, Local Government and the Regions Eighth Report". House of Commons. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmtlgr/558/55808.htm#a27. Retrieved 2008-01-16.
- ^ "A47 Acle Straight". Highways Agency. http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/4175.aspx. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
- ^ "A47 Norwich to Great Yarmouth Study". Norfolk County Council. http://www.committees.norfolk.gov.uk/papers/cabinet/plantran61201/a47stud3.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
- ^ "£1.6 Million package of safety measures to improve the a47 Acle straight in Norfolk". Government News. http://www.gov-news.org/gov/uk/news/1631_6_million_package_safety_measures_improve/58980.html. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
- ^ "Angers over Acle Straight safety study". http://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/content/lowestoftjournal/news/story.aspx?brand=LOWOnline&category=NEWS&tBrand=lowonline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED14%20Oct%202009%2017%3A33%3A22%3A223.
- ^ "Northern Distributor Road". Norfolk County Council. http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=3683. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ "A47 to A1067 Link Road". Norfolk County Council. http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&ssDocName=NCC052765&ssSourceNodeId=&ssTargetNodeId=3485. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
- ^ "The Link Options". Norfolk County Council. http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&ssDocName=NCC054194&ssSourceNodeId=&ssTargetNodeId=3485. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
- ^ "A47-A1067 Link Improvement". Norfolk County Council. 2008-01-28. http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/groups/public/documents/committee_report/cabinet280108item19pdf.pdf. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
- ^ "A47 Blofield to North Burlingham Dualling". Highways Agency. http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/4200.aspx. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
- ^ "A47 Blofield to North Burlingham Dualling Appraisal Summary Table". Highways Agency. http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/documents/A47_Blofield_AST.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
