A35 | ||||
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![]() At Kingston Russell Looking east along the road from Bridport to Dorchester | ||||
Route information | ||||
Length | 96.0 mi [1] (154.5 km) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | ![]() 50°47′38″N3°12′37″W / 50.7939°N 3.2102°W [2] | |||
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Contents
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East end | ![]() 50°56′25″N1°22′41″W / 50.9404°N 1.3780°W | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United Kingdom | |||
Primary destinations | Bridport Dorchester (Weymouth) Poole Bournemouth Southampton | |||
Road network | ||||
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The A35 is a major road in southern England, connecting Honiton in Devon and Southampton in Hampshire. It is a trunk road for some of its length. Most of its route passes through Dorset and the New Forest. It originally connected Exeter and Southampton, the original A35 ran along what is now the A3052 joining the present road at Charmouth.
Beginning in Honiton at the eastern junction with the A30 road, [2] the A35 travels in a roughly south-easterly direction past Axminster, Charmouth and Bridport. After Bridport, there is a 2-mile (3.2 km) section of dual carriageway, before it reaches its bypass around Dorchester. After Dorchester, there are approximately 8 miles (13 km) of dual carriageway, including the Puddletown bypass, until it reaches its roundabout with the A31 road at Bere Regis. Continuing roughly south-easterly still, it becomes dual carriageway again near Upton, before returning to a single carriageway through Poole and Bournemouth, apart from a small section of dual carriageway on Wessex Way. On reaching Christchurch, there is a dual-carriageway bypass. It then heads in a north-easterly direction through the New Forest, passing through Lyndhurst where it meets the A337 road (to Lymington). It continues through Ashurst and Totton, meeting the A36 road and M271 motorway at grade separated junctions. It then turns north-east, acting as the western part of Southampton's ring road, with the A27 road making up the eastern part. It terminates at Swaythling, on the northern outskirts of Southampton.
The road number was created with the 1922 classification of roads in the United Kingdom. At that time its western terminus was on the then A30 in Heavitree, Exeter. [3] In 1966 the section from Charmouth to Exeter was de-trunked and renumbered to A3052, with the A35 directed over the former A373 to Honiton, [4] terminating at the then-new [5] A30 Honiton Bypass. [6] This added the narrow 220-foot (67 m) long Charmouth Tunnel to the route, built in 1832 to avoid the summit of Thistle Hill. [7]
The A35 is a main route along England's south coast, [8] and was congested. To help solve the congestion, sections of the A35 were upgraded between Honiton and Poole. In 1969 the Ministry of Transport recorded the case for bypasses around Bridport and Dorchester. [9] The 2.4-mile (3.9 km) bypass to the south of Bridport opened almost two decades later in 1987, [10] followed by the 3.7-mile (6.0 km) bypass to the south of Dorchester [11] in 1988.
Following the re-routing onto the former A373 road, a major traffic bottleneck was the town of Axminster. A much-desired southern bypass for the town was indefinitely postponed in 1980 by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Kenneth Clarke. [12] The 3.65-kilometre (2.27 mi) project was eventually authorized by Act of Parliament in 1987, [8] with construction beginning in 1990 approximately following the line of a Roman road. [13] Charmouth village was bypassed in 1991, with the Charmouth Tunnel bypassed at the same time. The defunct tunnel was converted into a shooting range in 2010. [14]
The Puddletown dual carriageway bypass which opened in 1999 (together with the A30 Honiton-Exeter dualling) were financed under a Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) contract running from 1996 to 2026. [15]
An on-line straightening between Slepe and the Upton bypass was carried out in 2004, and the extension of the 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) speed limit west of Slepe by 1 mile (1.6 km) in 2007.
In Bournemouth, it has been diverted around the Sovereign Centre of Boscombe along Centenary Way resulting in a 1.9-mile (3.1 km) concurrency [16] with the A338; much of its former route is now pedestrianised.
County | Location | mi [1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
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Devon | Honiton | 0.0 | 0.0 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Western terminus |
0.4 | 0.64 | ![]() | A375 signed eastbound only; northern terminus of A375 | ||
Axminster | 9.5 | 15.3 | ![]() ![]() | To A3052, Axminster, and Sidmouth signed westbound only | |
Dorset | Charmouth | 14.2 | 22.9 | ![]() | Eastern terminus of A3052 |
Bridport | 22.6 | 36.4 | ![]() | B3162 signed westbound only; southern terminus of A3066 | |
Winterborne Monkton–Bradford Peverell–Dorchester boundary | 35.3 | 56.8 | ![]() ![]() | Southern terminus of A37 | |
Winterborne Monkton–Winterborne Herringston–Dorchester boundary | 36.8 | 59.2 | ![]() | Southern terminus of A354 concurrency | |
Winterborne Came–Dorchester boundary | 38.0 | 61.2 | ![]() | Western terminus of A352 | |
Stinsford | 40.6 | 65.3 | Higher Bockhampton, Lower Bockhampton | Grade–separated junction | |
Puddletown | 41.9 | 67.4 | Tolpuddle, Puddletown, Troy Town, Puddletown Forest | Grade–separated junction; Tolpuddle, Puddletown signed eastbound only, Puddletown Forest westbound only | |
43.0– 43.3 | 69.2– 69.7 | ![]() | Grade–separated junction; Milborne St Andrew signed eastbound only, Puddletown westbound only; eastern terminus of A354 concurrency | ||
Tolpuddle–Affpuddle and Turnerspuddle boundary | 46.3– 46.6 | 74.5– 75.0 | Warmwell, Crossways, Affpuddle, Briantspuddle, Milborne St Andrew, Tolpuddle | Grade–separated junction; Milborne St Andrew and Tolpuddle signed westbound only | |
Bere Regis | 47.6 | 76.6 | Bere Regis, Milborne St Andrew | Grade–separated junction; eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
48.9 | 78.7 | ![]() | South-western terminus of A31 | ||
Lytchett Minster | 56.2 | 90.4 | ![]() | Swanage and Holton Heath signed westbound only; northern terminus of A351 | |
Upton | 57.7– 58.1 | 92.9– 93.5 | ![]() | Grade–separated junction; western terminus of A350 concurrency | |
Upton–Poole boundary | 58.6– 58.8 | 94.3– 94.6 | ![]() ![]() | Information signed westbound only; eastern terminus of A350 concurrency | |
Poole | 60.0 | 96.6 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | To A348 and Canford Heath signed eastbound only; access only to A3049 east and from A3049 west | |
62.1 | 99.9 | ![]() | Southern terminus of A350 | ||
63.5 | 102.2 | Ashley Road (A3040 north) – Upper Parkstone, Wallisdown | Wallisdown signed eastbound only; southern terminus of A3040 | ||
Bournemouth | 64.3 | 103.5 | Seamoor Road / The Avenue / Lindsay Road – Westbourne | Western terminus of A338 concurrency; southern terminus of A338 | |
65.6– 65.8 | 105.6– 105.9 | ![]() | Grade–separated junction; Charminster and Winton signed eastbound only; southern terminus of A347 | ||
66.2 | 106.5 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Eastern terminus of A338 concurrency | ||
67.9 | 109.3 | ![]() ![]() | Charminster and Winton signed eastbound only, Ringwood westbound only; eastern terminus of A3049 | ||
69.5 | 111.8 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | South-eastern terminus of A3060 | ||
Bournemouth–Christchurch boundary | 69.6– 69.8 | 112.0– 112.3 | Iford Bridge over River Stour | ||
Christchurch | 73.0 | 117.5 | ![]() | Western terminus of A337 | |
Hampshire | Burley | 78.5 | 126.3 | Burley | Grade–separated junction |
Lyndhurst | 85.2– 85.4 | 137.1– 137.4 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Brief concurrency | |
Colbury–Totton boundary | 89.2– 89.4 | 143.6– 143.9 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||
Totton | 90.1 | 145.0 | ![]() | ||
91.0 | 146.5 | ![]() | Grade–separated junction; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; southern terminus of A36 | ||
Southampton | 91.2– 91.5 | 146.8– 147.3 | ![]() ![]() | Grade–separated junction; The Midlands, Portsmouth and Bournemouth signed eastbound only, The West westbound only; western terminus of A33 concurrency; southern terminus of M271; western terminus of A33 | |
91.8– 92.0 | 147.7– 148.1 | ![]() | A33 and City centre signed westbound only; eastern terminus of A33 concurrency | ||
92.9 | 149.5 | ![]() | |||
94.1– 94.7 | 151.4– 152.4 | ![]() ![]() | |||
96.0 | 154.5 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Eastern terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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In May 2021, a sinkhole opened on the carriageway following emergency repairs to a pothole on the A35 Puddletown bypass near the junction for Troytown. The road was closed to allow remedial works to be carried out. [17]
In October 2021 the edge of the eastbound carriageway collapsed into a field where the A35 ascends an escarpment 1.1 miles (1.8 km) east of Honiton. Due to the complex ground conditions repairs took 8 months to complete with temporary signals controlling single-file traffic for that time. [18] [19]
Axminster is a market town and civil parish on the eastern border of the county of Devon in England. It is 28 miles (45 km) from the county town of Exeter. The town is built on a hill overlooking the River Axe which heads towards the English Channel at Axmouth, and is in the East Devon local government district. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 5,626, increasing to 5,761 at the 2011 census. The town contains two electoral wards whose combined population is 7,110. The market is still held every Thursday.
The A30 is a major road in England, running 284 miles (457 km) WSW from London to Land's End.
The Fosse Way was a Roman road built in Britain during the first and second centuries AD that linked Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter) in the southwest and Lindum Colonia (Lincoln) to the northeast, via Lindinis (Ilchester), Aquae Sulis (Bath), Corinium (Cirencester), and Ratae Corieltauvorum (Leicester).
The M3 is a motorway in England, from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, to Eastleigh, Hampshire; a distance of approximately 59 miles (95 km). The route includes the Aldershot Urban Area, Basingstoke, Winchester, and Southampton.
Tolpuddle is a village in Dorset, England, on the River Piddle from which it takes its name, 8 miles (13 km) east of Dorchester, the county town, and 12 miles (19 km) west of Poole. The estimated population in 2013 was 420.
The A303 is a trunk road in southern England, running between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon via Stonehenge. Connecting the M3 and the A30, it is part of one of the main routes from London to Devon and Cornwall. It is a primary A road throughout its length, passing through five counties.
The A36 is a trunk road and primary route in southwest England that links the port city of Southampton to the city of Bath. At Bath, the A36 connects with the A4 to Bristol, thus providing a road link between the major ports of Southampton and Bristol. It also provides a link between Bristol and London via the A303.
The A31 is a major trunk road in southern England that runs from Guildford in Surrey to Bere Regis in Dorset. Its most well known section is the Hog's Back, a hilly ridge forming part of the North Downs, in the Surrey stretch between Guildford and Farnham.
The A33 is a major road in the counties of Berkshire and Hampshire in southern England. The road currently runs in three disjoint sections.
Chideock is a village and civil parish in south west Dorset, England, situated close to the English Channel between Bridport and Lyme Regis. Dorset County Council's 2013 estimate of the parish population is 550.
Symondsbury is a village and civil parish in southwest Dorset, England, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Bridport and 16 miles (26 km) west of Dorchester. The village is located just to the north of the A35 trunk road, which runs between Southampton and Honiton. The village has a pub, a pottery and a primary school. The village is the head of Symondsbury Parish which extends from Eype and West Cliff in the south, to the Marshwood Vale in the north. The village is set in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 1,059.
The A354 is a primary route in England which runs from Salisbury in Wiltshire to Easton on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, a total distance of 51 miles (82 km). From Salisbury the road crosses Cranborne Chase. At Woodyates the road follows the route of Ackling Dyke, a Roman Road for a short distance. The A354 briefly merges with the A350 at the Blandford Forum bypass before crossing the Dorset Downs and merging with the A35 at the Puddletown bypass. 7 miles (11 km) to the west it splits from the Dorchester bypass and runs south. The road now bypasses Upwey and Broadwey on a new section of road which has some two lane sections going north and one lane continuously going south towards Weymouth. After the old and new sections meet at Manor Roundabout the road follows down Weymouth Way alongside Radipole Lake. The final stretch runs across a short bridge over Chesil beach onto Portland. Historically the section between Dorchester and Fortuneswell was part of the A37 with the extension to Easton being the original B3154. This section of the A37 became part of the A354 in 1935 but the B3154 was only renumbered as part of the A354 in the 1980s.
The South East Dorset conurbation is a multi-centred conurbation on the south coast of Dorset in England.
Cranbrook is a new town being developed in East Devon, England, which at the 2021 census, had a population of 6,743 residents across 8 "phases". However, the town is growing at a fast pace. It is located 6 mi east-north-east of Exeter and north-west of Rockbeare, between the B3174 road and the West of England Main Line railway. The civil parish was formed on 1 April 2015.
The A338 is a major primary route in southern England, that runs from the junction with the A35 at Poole in Dorset to the junction with the A420 at Besselsleigh in Oxfordshire, a distance of 84 miles (135 km).
Dorset is a county in South West England. The county is largely rural and therefore does not have a dense transport network, and is one of the few English counties without a motorway. Owing to its position on the English Channel coast, and its natural sheltered harbours, it has a maritime history, though lack of inland transport routes has led to the decline of its ports.
The Southampton and Dorchester Railway was an English railway company formed to join Southampton in Hampshire with Dorchester in Dorset, with hopes of forming part of a route from London to Exeter. It received parliamentary authority in 1845 and opened in 1847.
The South Coast Trunk Road is a former designation of a 222-mile (357 km) long route in southern England, sometimes called the Folkestone to Honiton trunk route. It is made up of several numbered roads :
The Jurassic Coaster is a bus service operated by the Weymouth branch of First Hampshire & Dorset, running around the Jurassic coastline of the county of Dorset. It features five routes, stretching from Axminster in the west to Poole in the east, with one of the routes in TripAdvisor's 2018 poll of most scenic bus routes coming in 12th place.