A37 road

Last updated

UK road A37.svg
A37
A37 road map.png
A foreshortened view of the A37 south towards Belluton - geograph.org.uk - 482661.jpg
The A37 north of Pensford
Route information
Length60.4 mi [1]  (97.2 km)
Major junctions
South endUK road A35.svgUK road A352.svg A35  / A352 near Dorchester
50°42′43″N2°28′23″W / 50.712°N 2.473°W / 50.712; -2.473
Major intersectionsUK road A30.svg A30 in Yeovil

UK road A303.svg A303 in Ilchester
UK road A372.svg A372 near Podimore
UK road A361.svg A361 near Shepton Mallet
UK road A371.svg A371 near Shepton Mallet
UK road A39.svg A39 near Farrington Gurney
UK road A368.svg A368 near Pensford

Contents

UK road A4174.svg A4174 in Bristol
North endUK road A4.svg A4 in Bristol
51°26′38″N2°34′41″W / 51.444°N 2.578°W / 51.444; -2.578
Location
Country United Kingdom
Counties Dorset, Somerset
Primary
destinations
Bristol
Shepton Mallet
Yeovil
Dorchester
Road network
UK road A36.svg A36 UK road A38.svg A38

The A37 is a major road in south west England.

Route

It runs north from the A35 at Dorchester in Dorset into Somerset through Yeovil and Shepton Mallet before terminating at the Three Lamps junction with the A4 in central Bristol. The road is entirely single carriageway, except in the Yeovil and Bristol built-up areas, at Ilchester (where it multiplexes with the A303), and north of Dorchester.

Fosse Way

From the Podimore roundabout northeast of Ilchester to Shepton Mallet the route traces that of the Fosse Way.

The road today

The road is subject to a stream of speed restrictions where it winds through a number of small villages. These parts of the road can be dangerous, especially where wide vehicles pass on sections where buildings are close to the road.

History

1922 road classification

The original A37 in 1922 started in Fortuneswell, Isle of Portland, however, the section to Dorchester was soon renumbered A354, presumably to create a link between the major port of Weymouth and the A30 at Salisbury, from where the route would continue to London. Such a route has now been superseded by the M27 and M3.

One of the worst accident spots on the A37 was the A371 junction just south of Shepton Mallet. The junction was always very busy and suffered long traffic queues due to the nature of the road. The junction was also a point where traffic would converge or pass through from multiple locations, this was further exacerbated by the A361 Glastonbury junction which backed right onto the first junction. This muddled configuration resulted in numerous road traffic accidents, many of which were fatal.

After a long campaign for the junction to be replaced, a roundabout was constructed in 1999 significantly improving road safety and traffic flow. There have been few other construction schemes on the road in recent decades.

In recent years most of the overtaking lanes, provided on steep stretches just south of Bristol, have been blocked out with chevrons.

Future

A potential extension of the Avon Ring Road (A4174) from the Hicks Gate Roundabout between Keynsham and Bristol to the A37 south of Whitchurch would provide a direct link to the M32 and M4 north of Bristol. [2]

Junction list

CountyLocationmi [1] kmDestinationsNotes
Dorset Winterbourne MarketBradford PeverellDorchester boundary0.00.0UK road A35.svgUK road A352.svgUK road A354.svgUK road A31.svg A35  / A352 south / B3150 / Bridport Road to A354  / A31  Honiton, Poole, Weymouth, Blandford, Ringwood, Dorchester, Winterbourne Abbas, Bridport, Winterbourne Monkton, Puddletown, Wareham, Martinstown Southern terminus; southern terminus of A352 concurrency
Charminster 1.62.6UK road A352.svg A352 north (North Street) Charminster, Cerne Abbas, Sherborne Northern terminus of A352 concurrency
Frampton 4.67.4UK road A356.svg A356 north-west (Dorchester Road) Crewkerne, Frampton, Maiden Newton South-eastern terminus of A356
Somerset Yeovil 18.930.4UK road A30.svgUK-Motorway-M5.svgUK road A303.svg A30 west to M5  / A303  Chard, Crewkerne, Exeter, Taunton Only A30, Chard, and Crewkerne signed southbound; southern terminus of A30 concurrency
19.331.1UK-Motorway-M5.svgUK road A303.svg Lysander Road (A3088 west) / Brunswick Street to M5  / A303  Taunton, Exeter, Chard, Crewkerne, Montacute, Stoke-sub-Hamdon Montacute and Stoke-sub-Hamdon signed westbound only; eastern terminus of A3088
19.932.0UK road A30.svg A30 east (Reckleford) / Park Road Town centre, Sherborne Eastern terminus of A30 concurrency
20.132.3UK road A359.svg A359 north (Mudford Road) / Preston Road Frome, Odcombe, Montacute, Queen Camel, Marston Magna, Mudford Southern terminus of A359
Ilchester 24.7–
25.4
39.8–
40.9
UK road A303.svgUK-Motorway-M5.svgUK road A358.svg A303 south-west to M5  / A358  Exeter, Taunton To M5 signed northbound only, To A358 southbound only
Yeovilton 27.444.1UK road A303.svgUK road A372.svg A303 north-east / A372 north-west / Podimore Road to B3151 London, Andover, Langport, Wincanton, Sparkford, Podimore, Street, Somerton, Yeovilton Yeovilton signed southbound only; northern terminus of A303 concurrency; south-eastern terminus of A372
PiltonDoultingShepton Mallet boundary39.463.4UK road A361.svg A361 south (East Compton Road) Glastonbury, Taunton, Pilton Southern terminus of A361 concurrency
Shepton Mallet 39.563.6UK road A371.svgUK road A303.svg A371 south-east to A303  / B3081 Castle Cary, Evercreech Southern terminus of A371 concurrency
40.0–
40.7
64.4–
65.5
UK road A361.svgUK road A371.svg A361 north / A371 north-west Frome, Shepton Mallet, Wells Northern terminus of A361 / A371 concurrency
Ashwick 42.969.0UK road A367.svg A367 north (Bath Road) Radstock, Oakhill, Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Bath Only Bath signed southbound only; southern terminus of A367
Ston Easton 48.678.2UK road A39.svg A39 south-west Wells Southern terminus of A39 concurrency
Farrington Gurney 49.179.0UK road A362.svg A362 east Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Frome Western terminus of A362
High Littleton 50.080.5UK road A39.svg A39 north-east (Wells Road) to B3355 Bath, High Littleton, Hallatrow, Paulton Northern terminus of A39 concurrency
Chelwood 53.586.1UK road A368.svg A368  Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Chelwood, Marksbury, Keynsham, Bishop Sutton, Chew Valley Lake
Bristol 59.095.0UK road A4174.svgUK-Motorway-M5.svgUK-Motorway-M32.svgUK-Motorway-M4.svgUK road A38.svgUK road A4.svg A4174 (Airport Road / Wootton Park) to M5  / M32  / M4  / A38  / A4  Bath, Taunton, Avonmouth, Bristol Airport, Brislington, St Philip's Marsh, Hartcliffe, Bishopsworth Only Bath, Taunton, and Avonmouth signed southbound
60.497.2UK road A4.svg A4 west City centre, Knowle, Totterdown Northern terminus; no access to A4 east or from A4 west
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

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References

  1. 1 2 "Monkeys Jump Roundabout, Poundbury, Dorchester DT2 9DL, UK to Higham Street Green, Higham St, Bristol BS4 2BJ, UK". Google Maps . Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  2. "The new ring road and suburb that will change Bristol forever". 19 November 2018.