Roads in the UK that were previously dual carriageway but have been downgraded?

[miami]

The M58? https://www.google.com/maps/@53.536...4!1sbOLrSklI2TAsuOF4Nx7BKg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Or the A601(M)? https://www.google.com/maps/@54.125...4!1sFxfEBz8m8uPgX0nF7I20RQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Didn't know about that M58 sliproad -- I see it explicitly has an NSL sign at the start. As a motorway I assume that means it's a 70mph limit?

 

[ABB125]

Didn't know about that M58 sliproad -- I see it explicitly has an NSL sign at the start. As a motorway I assume that means it's a 70mph limit?

What do you mean "sliproad"? That's quite clearly the mainline M58!!!

I'm not sure as to the answer to your question - I'm not at that level of road nerdery! I suppose the easy way to find out is see how quickly everyone else drives along it, and then match their speed. Although you'd probably struggle to get up to even 60, let alone 70, on that short stretch!

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The old, notoriously dangerous, A556 in Cheshire from Bucklow Hill to the M6 junction had four lanes with a very narrow central reservation in places and just double-white lines in others. It was replaced by the new A556 in 2017, and the southbound lanes now form an ordinary road in both directions. The northbound lanes (reduced in width and a reservation added) are now just for cyclists and walkers.

There are plenty of examples of 1930s to 1960s dual-carriageway sections being reduced to single-lane (although usually the central reservation is retained) because of dangerous sub-standard specification on curves - there are quite few on the old A38 from Cullompton to Bristol.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There is a couple sections on the A342 between Andover & Ludgershall which in the past had short sections of dual carriageway but has been reduced to single carriageway with the centre grass bit still in place.

If these links work:

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Also I believe there is a section of the A338 between Salisbury & Downton which used to be a dual carriageway but is now a single carriageway

If there's a central reservation between the different directional lanes, then it is still a dual carriageway. Even if there's only one lane per direction.

I am deeply baffled by, and sceptical of, the OP's claim of a long stretch of dual carriageway south of Wrexham that was allegedly singled. It a part of the country where there has never been much in the way of dual carriageways in the first place, and I can't think of any reason why a road there would be singled. I think most likely the OP misinterpreted what he saw.

The only substantial length of dual carriageway there has ever been within 90 miles going south from Wrexham (unless you go SE to Shrewsbury and the A5) is the A483, which turns from dual to single at Ruabon, and has done so ever since it was first built (which was in the early 1990s if I remember correctly).

The only substantial lengths of dual carriageway that I know of that have been singled are where an old (typically early 1960s) dual carriageway has been bypassed by a motorway or more modern dual carriageway. The main examples, on the A1 and A74, have already been mentioned. There are a few other shorter examples - probably some right now following the opening of the new A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge.

The downgrading of the M10 to A414 left it a dual carriageway. The A6144 was already a single carriageway even when it was A6144(M).

A bit of the A34 at Pottal Pool south of Cannock, that had been dualled long ago and was serving no useful purpose since the construction of the M6, was singled about 20 years ago. There are other examples like that.

I may well have misinterpreted what I saw- a few posts in @Bletchleyite suggested an alternative hypothesis which would seem more likely: that what I thought was an abandoned carriageway was actually an abandoned alignment of the same single carriageway road.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I may well have misinterpreted what I saw- a few posts in @Bletchleyite suggested an alternative hypothesis which would seem more likely: that what I thought was an abandoned carriageway was actually an abandoned alignment of the same single carriageway road.

Not saying there haven't been any de-duallings (quite a number have been identified in this thread) however abandoned carriageways of the same road (where it's been rejigged a bit, either for a new junction or to straighten it out/widen it) are very, very common. These are usually identifiable by being relatively short sections. Another time you get it is where a T-junction, due to accidents, has been changed to become a staggered junction, with the old bit of road by the junction on one side being abandoned.

 

[kevconnor]

What was the A556 through Over Tabley has been redeveloped since the bypass was opened, it has had its central reservation removed and cycle lanes put in. The central reservation only ran for about 200-400 meters.

this is how it was

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this is how it now is

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A short section of the A664 in Middleton, Asshington Way, the dual central reservation was removed and it was single laned so that a bus lane could be included.

how it was:

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and now how it is.

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[steamybrian]

In Croydon part of George Street from outside East Croydon station to the Wellesley Road flyover was originally dual carriageway but was reduced to one side exclusive for Croydon Tramlink and the otherside two way traffic.

 

[PTR 444]

The B3073 approach to Bournemouth airport used to be two single carriageway lanes, with a mound between them (the road from Hurn village). Some years ago was converted to normal 2 way road

Having lived in the area for 20 years of my life, I have never noticed this. Would you be able to post a link to the exact location of this supposed former dual carriageway?

Can we count Dual Carriageways that now have a new alignment but the former alignment is still visible and available for use?

If so the A47's dual-carriageway £9 million Ailsworth-Castor Bypass which opened in September 1991 runs alongside the former A47 in that area but the main difference is while the old A47 is like a roller coaster with hills, the new A47 is quite smooth with no hills.

This reminds me, there is also a bypassed stretch of dual carriageway further down the A47 at Walpole Highway, as well as one on the A14 at Levington between Ipswich and Felixstowe.

 

[rcro]

Much of Bristol’s inner ring road has gone from dual carriageway to mix of 2 and 4 lane single carriageway, single lane dual carriageway, bus only road and footpath over the last 30 years.

 

[zwk500]

It's not entirely clear, but it looks like the former alignment of the A23 through Handcross had a very short length of Dual carriageway abandoned when the section between Crawley and Handcross was dualled to D3:

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The original line of the road is the sliproad and village high street which has only ever been single carriageway, the 1st bypass when past the BP garage now some distance from the A23 and the curve can just about be followed through the housing development towards Hoadlands and the school before rejoining London Road. North of the village it doesn't look like it was ever wide enough for D2, even by older standards.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I doubt that was ever dualled (unless anyone knows otherwise) - it's not at all unusual to have a separate "village road" like that when the single carriageway main road is upgraded. Some duals even have that arrangement, the East Lancs Road does in places for example.

 

[zwk500]

I doubt that was ever dualled (unless anyone knows otherwise) - it's not at all unusual to have a separate "village road" like that when the single carriageway main road is upgraded. Some duals even have that arrangement, the East Lancs Road does in places for example.

It's very possible, although there's a lot of other roads in the area that were dualled early on with the original accesses straight onto one carriageway. Most have since been upgraded, but some (e.g. A22) still have them.

This map suggests that it was, in fact, dualled: https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/526500/129500/12/100955

 

[superjohn]

The bypassed former A12 at Copdock has not been singled. It is a very strange experience travelling along a deserted unsigned 70mph dual carriageway that suddenly terminates in mounds of earth and a farm-like gate with a small gap to a cycle tunnel under the A14. These days, one side would probably become a cycleway or bus lane.

The old A45 between Ipswich and Felixstowe is much the same. There is a section of dual carriageway still remaining on what is now an unclassified road. It was downgraded when the new A14 alignment was built. The main traffic nowadays is buses between Ipswich and Felixstowe so they can serve the villages that are bypassed by the A14. Unfortunately it has become something of a magnet for fly tippers.

 

[bangor-toad]

I doubt that was ever dualled (unless anyone knows otherwise) - it's not at all unusual to have a separate "village road" like that when the single carriageway main road is upgraded. ...

Hi,
It was in fact dualled all the way from the bottom of the M23 to the Handcross bypass. The section from the Pease Pottage to the Handcross bypass was itself bypassed rather than being upgraded. That resulted in a section being abandoned - the BP garage mentioned above was literally next to the old road - now it's about 80m away.
North of Handcross the section called London Road is now single carriageway - the western carriageway has been removed leaving only a decent path & I presume cycletrack.

Incidentally, the old road before the upgrades was a dangerous combination of dual carriageway with turns, gradients and really poor visibility. My younger self probably enjoyed it a little too much... It's not a bad thing that it's been massively upgraded in terms of capacity and safety.

Cheers,
Mr Toad

 

[Western Sunset]

The (original) Winchester by-pass has been mentioned above, but hasn't part of it been abandoned altogether as a road?

 

[ABB125]

The (original) Winchester by-pass has been mentioned above, but hasn't part of it been abandoned altogether as a road?

Yes - you can sort of make out the route it took, on the opposite side of At Catherine's Hill to the M3, looking at satellite imagery.

 

[AM9]

The (original) Winchester by-pass has been mentioned above, but hasn't part of it been abandoned altogether as a road?

Yes, the Hockley to Bar End section has been dug up and returned to being part of the River Itchen water meadows.

 

[randyrippley]

Has it been singled, though, or has its status just been downgraded (e.g. the A421 -> A4421 with people being directed north and via the M40)?

the A74 was singled

The A601(M) is getting even odder, for a while at least. The single carriageway section (southern/eastern) now has a T-junction to a Porsche garage. I'm not sure if this section is still a motorway, but the blue signs are still up. I assume this section and the M6 roundabout will become a spur of the B6254 before the garage opens.
The dual carriageway section (northern/western) is likely to be downgraded too, to reduce maintenance requirements/costs and allow another junction or roundabout to be built for a new housing estate.

The single carriageway bit was downgraded around 16 months ago but no-one bothered to change the signs. Could make an interesting legal case if someone wanted to ride a horse down it. But the other end is also weird - the A601(M)-A6 junction is misnamed J35A in the M6 sequence

 

[ABB125]

The single carriageway bit was downgraded around 16 months ago but no-one bothered to change the signs. Could make an interesting legal case if someone wanted to ride a horse down it. But the other end is also weird - the A601(M)-A6 junction is misnamed J35A in the M6 sequence

I may be wrong, but isn't the downgrade being done so that they can stick a roundabout in the middle of it (which obviously isn't permitted whilst it's a motorway*)?

*Not that being a motorway stopped a roundabout being plonked onto the M181...

 

[randyrippley]

I may be wrong, but isn't the downgrade being done so that they can stick a roundabout in the middle of it (which obviously isn't permitted whilst it's a motorway*)?

*Not that being a motorway stopped a roundabout being plonked onto the M181...

its being done so that access is possible to the new car dealer / industrial estate.

Don't forget that bit of motorway has a strange history anyway - it was originally intended as a private road just for access to the quarries

 

[PTR 444]

I may be wrong, but isn't the downgrade being done so that they can stick a roundabout in the middle of it (which obviously isn't permitted whilst it's a motorway*)?

*Not that being a motorway stopped a roundabout being plonked onto the M181...

In the case of the M181, AFAIK the motorway is being curtailed at the roundabout so it no longer runs north of there.

Even so, I don’t think roundabouts on the mainline necessarily prevent a road from being motorway. The M271 has had one ever since opening, but in this case all exits connect to motorways, rather than some being all-purpose.

 

[ABB125]

its being done so that access is possible to the new car dealer / industrial estate.

Don't forget that bit of motorway has a strange history anyway - it was originally intended as a private road just for access to the quarries

Good job it ended up as a public road!

In the case of the M181, AFAIK the motorway is being curtailed at the roundabout so it no longer runs north of there.

Even so, I don’t think roundabouts on the mainline necessarily prevent a road from being motorway. The M271 has had one ever since opening, but in this case all exits connect to motorways, rather than some being all-purpose.

The A627(M) near Rochdale is another example (the only other one?), although in this case there is provision for a flyover, unlike the M271. As you say, the reason is that you can't* have an all-purpose road leading to a motorway with no exit for non-motorway traffic (unless you cheat, such as this junction on the M40: the A452 should be under motorway regulations here, but they bodged it by installing a mini-teardrop just before the motorway so that tractors etc can turn around). In the case of the M271, I think they built the bit south of the M27, but then realised that a link northwards might be useful, so built one. Because it led to only motorways, it also had to be a motorway; and you might as well call both sections the M271! (Although, thinking about it, you can actually turn around and go back the way you came with roundabout junctions like this, so perhaps the northern bit being a motorway isn't strictly necessary (although then they might have to de-regulate the roundabout itself, which might be too much paperwork... ), but there's no harm in it being so, and it might as well be because otherwise you might (read: would never) find non-motorway traffic going down, only to have to turn back again.)

*Unless of course you are the A14, in which case feel free to spontaneously become either the M6 or M1, depending on which way you're going!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I may be wrong, but isn't the downgrade being done so that they can stick a roundabout in the middle of it (which obviously isn't permitted whilst it's a motorway*)?

*Not that being a motorway stopped a roundabout being plonked onto the M181...

There are I think quite a number of roundabouts under motorway regulations. The one that springs to mind (mainly because I had a crash on it about 20 years ago) is the M58-M6 one near Wigan.

*Unless of course you are the A14, in which case feel free to spontaneously become either the M6 or M1, depending on which way you're going!

Is the A14 a special road like parts of the A55 in North Wales*, which would mean that wasn't an issue because "motorway regulations" applied to the A-road as well?

* This is why it has 70 signs instead of NSL (National Speed Limit). If a derestriction sign was shown, there would be no speed limit for cars, as the car NSL doesn't apply to special roads, including motorways (which have 70 defined in separate regulations).

 

[ABB125]

There are I think quite a number of roundabouts under motorway regulations. The one that springs to mind (mainly because I had a crash on it about 20 years ago) is the M58-M6 one near Wigan.

Yes of course; the point I was making was that the new one on the M181 is completely new, and they're "de-motorwaying" the bit beyond it so that they can get away with installing it. Which isn't the end of the world. The worst thing about the new junction is the fact that it's just... absolutely abominable in just about every aspect! Here's the plan:

It's terrible in every way. I can't tell if the existing overbridge to the south is being rebuilt, but if it is then any sensible authority would simply install some sliproads and have a grade-separated junction. Instead, here in Britain we get three roundabouts...
[rant over]

Also, the M58/M6 junction is just a "temporary" arrangement, which, like most "temporary" things, has become permanent despite being unfit for purpose. It'll be even more fun when the new Pemberton bypass (all-purpose) gets plugged in...

Is the A14 a special road like parts of the A55 in North Wales*, which would mean that wasn't an issue because "motorway regulations" applied to the A-road as well?

* This is why it has 70 signs instead of NSL (National Speed Limit). If a derestriction sign was shown, there would be no speed limit for cars, as the car NSL doesn't apply to special roads, including motorways (which have 70 defined in separate regulations).

I don't think so (at least not at that point; the new bit between Cambridge and Huntingdon is though). There is this sign at the last junction before the M6 which tells non-motorway traffic to leave, but I don't think it's actually enforceable because there aren't any of the pictures in red circles (which I believe are enforceable) as found on the new bit, such as here.

I should add that in no way am I an expert in this field; there are some people on the SABRE forum who would quite happily argue over minutiae like this all day!

 

[SouthernR]

The A601(M) saga may continue for a while yet.

The Porsche garage is nearing completion. The southern/eastern arm (single carriageway with T-junction) has now had its blue signs removed or replaced. It’s now a clearway, but no road number is displayed.

There is no sign of the housing development on the northern/western side. (Outline planning permission was granted for one scheme about 5 years ago.) However, the bridges on the dual carriageway arm need repairs. To reduce maintenance costs, a few options are being considered, including removal of one bridge and replacement with a level junction, and reducing the whole road to single carriageway. See https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/media/913140/10-a601-m-option-assessment-report-v4.pdf

 

[Lucan]

There is a couple sections on the A342 between Andover & Ludgershall which in the past had short sections of dual carriageway but has been reduced to single carriageway with the centre grass bit still in place.

They are still dual carriageways. Seems in those cases, the outer lane has been re-purposed as a lane for turning right into a minor side road, and hatched areas before that lane starts in order to keep through traffic in the inner lane. There are locations in dual carriageways where this conversion has not been done and they are extremely dangerous, because you can find yourself stationary waiting for oncoming traffic to clear while you are still foul of the "fast" lane behind you. Been there, done that.

Many of these short lengths of dual carriageway in otherwise single carriageway roads were originally put in when lorries struggled to reach 40mph. They were to give the occasional opportunity for cars to escape past slow lorries or tractors. Today however, lorries can easily get up to 60mph so these short lengths are inadequate for cars to get past without the cars going over their own national speed limit, and in any case only two or three cars can get past which is hardly worth it when there are dozens still stuck behind, and (in a detached view) the need to pass is less anyway. Some of these lengths are so short they have "Get Back In" arrows almost as soon as they start, and only create near-suicidal scenarios of cars still overtaking lorries (or each other) where the dual carriageway runs out.

 

[richw]

Today however, lorries can easily get up to 60mph

They are legally limited to 56mph, despite the speed limit for lorries being 60 on a dual carriageway.

 

[A0]

As you say, the reason is that you can't* have an all-purpose road leading to a motorway with no exit for non-motorway traffic (unless you cheat, such as this junction on the M40: the A452 should be under motorway regulations here, but they bodged it by installing a mini-teardrop just before the motorway so that tractors etc can turn around).

*Unless of course you are the A14, in which case feel free to spontaneously become either the M6 or M1, depending on which way you're going!

Actually the road sign for that bit of the A452 is a bit questionable given it's basically the slip road to the M40 with no other access, yet it doesn't make clear non-motorway traffic can't use the road. I wonder if the M40 covered the A452 alignment when it was built ?

The A14 one is a recent construct though - the old Catthorpe Interchange was a roundabout which had the A14 ending at a roundabout which also handled a local road as well - the 2010 diagram on this page is a pretty good explanation: https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php/Catthorpe_Interchange

 

[ABB125]

Actually the road sign for that bit of the A452 is a bit questionable given it's basically the slip road to the M40 with no other access, yet it doesn't make clear non-motorway traffic can't use the road. I wonder if the M40 covered the A452 alignment when it was built ?

The A14 one is a recent construct though - the old Catthorpe Interchange was a roundabout which had the A14 ending at a roundabout which also handled a local road as well - the 2010 diagram on this page is a pretty good explanation: https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php/Catthorpe_Interchange

I think the M40 consumed the alignment of the A452 (which might have been a Warwick southern bypass?), but can't remember where I read that.
With the A14, although it should technically be a motorway from the A5199 junction, there is actually an escape point just before you join the M1.

 

[Ianno87]

With the A14, although it should technically be a motorway from the A5199 junction, there is actually an escape point just before you join the M1.

No it shouldn't (partly because there is a footpath crossing between the A5199 junction and the M1). Drivers of vehicles not permitted on the motorway simply need to observe signage and not proceed past the A5199 junction. And/or plan their route before setting off rather than winging it.

(And the escape point is after the point at which Motorway restrictions begin, at the "fork" where the westbound carriageway sits to M1/M6). Although that is presumably where non-motorway traffic gets escorted off if phoning for assistance.