A403 road

Last updated

UK road A403.svg
A403
Route information
Length8.4 mi (13.5 km)
Major junctions
Northeast end M48 Junction 1, Aust Interchange
Major intersectionsUK-Motorway-M48.svg M48
UK road A4.svg A4
Southwest end A4 Crowley Way in Avonmouth, near M5 Junction 18
Location
Country United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Road network

The A403 is a main road linking Bristol with the Severn Estuary. It runs from junction 1 of the M48 at Aust to the docks at Avonmouth. After the Severn Bridge was opened in 1966, the A403 was constructed in 1969 and 1970 to provide a direct route between the M4 motorway and Avonmouth. It is an important route for the local industries, allowing easy access between Wales and this part of England. It was financed by Gloucestershire County Council with a £387,000 grant from the Ministry of Transport and was initially known as the Avonmouth Aust Coast Road. [1]

Contents

Route

A403 at Avonmouth A403.jpg
A403 at Avonmouth

The road is 8+12 miles (13.7 km) running through South Gloucestershire and the City of Bristol. Between the M4 at Aust and Pilning it replaced the B4055 on a realigned route. Between Pilning and Chittening it followed a new route beside the ICI Severnside plant, and from Chittening to Avonmouth it followed the route of an existing unclassified road, St Andrews Road. At Avonmouth it connects with the A4, leading to the Portway. [2] The road disrupted local communities, with Pilning being split in two sections. [3] It runs near the proposed Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area, planned for expansion by Bristol City Council. [4] When completed, the road will have a junction with the M49 motorway (Junction 1) reducing the amount of heavy traffic passing through local communities.

Safety

Around 8,000 vehicles a day use this road. Although this is relatively low, a high proportion of traffic consists of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs); over five times the average. [5] [4] The A403 has had a poor safety record with numerous accidents. A particular problem has been HGVs parked at laybys along the road obscuring the view ahead, leading to several fatalities. South Gloucestershire Council reduced the speed limit on their section to 50 mph in 2007. [6] Bristol City Council have announced plans to install better facilities for cyclists along the road. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Gloucestershire</span> District in England

South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke. The southern part of its area falls within the Greater Bristol urban area surrounding the city of Bristol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M4 motorway</span> Major motorway in England and Wales

The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely complete by 1980, though a non-motorway section around Briton Ferry bridge remained until 1993. On the opening of the Second Severn Crossing in 1996, the M4 was rerouted over it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M5 motorway</span> Motorway in England

The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley. It continues past Bromsgrove, Droitwich Spa, Worcester, Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Bristol, Clevedon, Weston-super-Mare, Bridgwater, Taunton, terminating at junction 31 for Exeter. Congestion on the section south of the M4 is common during the summer holidays, on Friday afternoons and bank holidays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A48 road</span> Trunk road in Great Britain

The A48 is a trunk road in Great Britain running from the A40 at Highnam, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Gloucester, England, to the A40 at Carmarthen, Wales. Before the Severn Bridge opened on 8 September 1966, it was a major route between England and South Wales. For most of its route, it runs almost parallel to the M4 motorway. During times of high winds at the Severn Bridge, the A48 is used as part of the diversion route and is still marked as a Holiday Route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M32 motorway</span> Motorway in England

The M32 is a 4.42 miles (7.11 km) long motorway in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England. It provides a link from the M4, a major motorway linking London and South Wales, to Bristol city centre and is maintained by National Highways, the national roads body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M48 motorway</span> Motorway in the United Kingdom

The M48 is a 13-mile (21 km) long motorway in Great Britain, which crosses the Severn near Chepstow, Monmouthshire, linking England with Wales via the Severn Bridge. This road used to be the M4, and as a result is anomalously numbered: as it lies to the north of the M4 and to the west of the M5, it is in the Motorway Zone 5. The M4, M48 and the A48(M) motorway are the only motorways in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M49 motorway</span> Motorway in England

The M49 is a motorway in England that links the M4 (J22) with the M5 (J18A). The southern end is on the outskirts of Avonmouth and the northern end is immediately to the east of the Prince of Wales Bridge which was constructed at the same time 1996. It is 5 miles (8 km) long and unique in that it is only accessible from other motorways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Severn Beach</span> Human settlement in England

Severn Beach is a village on the Severn Estuary in South Gloucestershire, England. The eastern portal of the Severn Tunnel is on the outskirts of the village. The Severn footpath – on the sea wall – is part of the Severn Way that leads from Gloucester, Slimbridge and the Second Severn Crossing. Extensive sea defences have been constructed and this provides a popular walkway along its length. Originally, the Severn Way finished at Severn Beach, but it has been extended to Bristol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avonmouth</span> Port and suburb of Bristol, England

Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, facing two rivers: the reinforced north bank of the final stage of the Avon which rises at sources in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset; and the eastern shore of the Severn Estuary. Strategically the area has been and remains an important part of the region's maritime economy particularly for larger vessels for the unloading and exporting of heavier goods as well as in industry including warehousing, light industry, electrical power and sanitation. The area contains a junction of and is connected to the south by the M5 motorway and other roads, railway tracks and paths to the north, south-east and east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilning</span> Human settlement in England

Pilning is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, close to Redwick and Severn Beach. Pilning is close to the M4, M49 and A403 roads, and has the South Wales Main Line railway running through it, with a minor station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henbury</span> Human settlement in England

Henbury is a suburb of Bristol, England, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) north west of the city centre. It was formerly a village in Gloucestershire and is now bordered by Westbury-on-Trym to the south; Brentry to the east and the Blaise Castle Estate, Blaise Hamlet and Lawrence Weston to the west. To the north lie the South Gloucestershire village of Hallen and the entertainment/retail park Cribbs Causeway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Severn Beach line</span> Railway in Bristol and Gloucestershire, England

The Severn Beach line is a local railway line in Bristol and Gloucestershire, England, which runs from Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach, and used to extend to Pilning. The first sections of the line were opened in 1863 as part of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier; the section through Bristol was opened in 1875 as the Clifton Extension Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilning railway station</span> Railway station near Bristol, England

Pilning railway station is a minor station on the South Wales Main Line near Pilning, South Gloucestershire, England. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Bristol Temple Meads and is the last station on the English side before the Severn Tunnel through to Wales. It is managed by Great Western Railway, who provide the two train services per week from the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almondsbury Interchange</span> Junction of M4 and M5 motorways near Bristol, England

The Almondsbury Interchange in South Gloucestershire, is one of the United Kingdom's largest motorway stack interchanges. The interchange is one of only three four-level stacks in the UK, spanning a range of 1 km by 1 km. It is the interchange for the M5 at junction 15 and M4 at junction 20, and is situated at the northern fringes of Bristol close to the village of Almondsbury, the Aztec West industrial estate, and Bradley Stoke. When it opened in 1966, it was the most complex junction on the British motorway network, a free-flowing interchange on four levels. Since then traffic volumes have increased. Additionally, at busy periods, the Interchange becomes more difficult to negotiate safely. In an attempt to ease congestion, the Interchange has become part of a smart motorway.

Bristol is a city in south west England, near the Bristol Channel coast, approximately 106 miles (170 km) west of London. Several factors have influenced the development of its transport network. It is a major centre of employment, retail, culture and higher education, has many historic areas, and has a history of maritime industry. The city has a population of 450,000, with a metropolitan area of 650,000, and lies at the centre of the former County of Avon, which includes many dormitory towns, and has a population of one million.

New Passage is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England, on the banks of the Severn estuary near the village of Pilning. It takes its name from the ferry service which operated between there and South Wales until 1886.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henbury Loop Line</span>

The Henbury Loop Line, also known as the Filton to Avonmouth Line, is a railway line following the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire between the Severn Beach Line at Hallen Marsh Junction, Avonmouth and the Cross Country Route/South Wales Main Line at Filton. It is currently only used for freight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol and South Wales Union Railway</span>

The Bristol and South Wales Union Railway was built to connect Bristol, England, with south Wales. The route involved a ferry crossing of the River Severn but was considerably shorter than the alternative route through Gloucester. The ferry was replaced by the Severn Tunnel in 1886 but part of the route continues to be used, forming parts of the Cross-Country Route and the South Wales Main Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portway, Bristol</span> A4 road in Bristol, UK

The Portway is a major road in the City of Bristol. It is part of the A4 and connects Bristol City Centre to the Avonmouth Docks and the M5 motorway via the Avon Gorge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chittening</span> Human settlement in England

Chittening is an industrial estate in Avonmouth, Bristol, England, bypassed by the A403 road, near the River Severn. It lies within the city boundary of Bristol, in Avonmouth ward, but used to be beyond it, in historic Gloucestershire, on former marshland at the southern end of the Vale of Berkeley.

References

  1. "Classified Road Programme". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 14 December 1965. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  2. "A403, Bristol". Google Maps. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  3. "Northwick". Bristol & Avon Family History Society. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "A403 improvements". Bristol City Council. Archived from the original on 23 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  5. "A403 and Aust Village – Casualty Reduction Scheme". South Gloucestershire Council. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  6. "Killer Aust lay-by to be closed". Gloucestershire Gazette. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2016.

51°33′09″N2°39′56″W / 51.55237°N 2.66547°W / 51.55237; -2.66547