A40 Road - Sarcasm Wiki

Contents

1. Overview
2. Etymology
3. Cultural Impact

A40

The A40 is a major road in Great Britain that runs between London and Goodwick (Fishguard), in Wales. It is approximately 260 mi (420 km) long. The eastern section from Denham, Buckinghamshire to Wheatley, Oxfordshire is better served by the M40 motorway and its former function of linking London with Cheltenham and Gloucester has been taken by the M4, A419 and A417 via Swindon. Much of the A40’s length within England has been superseded by motorways, such as the M40, and has lost its trunk road status, though it retains the status west of Gloucester and its entirety within Wales.

For the A40 in London, see [A40 road (London)]/A40_road_(London). For other uses, see [A40 (disambiguation)]/A40_(disambiguation).

Route information

Part of: [E30]/European_route_E30
Maintained by: [National Highways]/National_Highways, [English local authorities]/English_local_authorities, [South Wales Trunk Road Agent]/South_Wales_Trunk_Road_Agent and [North & Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent]/North_and_Mid_Wales_Trunk_Road_Agent
Length: 261.2 mi (420.4 km)
Major junctions: East end at [A1]/A1_road_(Great_Britain) / [A1121]/A1121_road_(Great_Britain) in [City of London]/City_of_London

Main intersections include:

[A5]/A5_road_(Great_Britain) in [Greater London]/Greater_London
[M40]/M40_motorway_(Great_Britain) in Greater London
[A34]/A34_road_(Great_Britain) / [A44]/A44_road_(Great_Britain) near [Oxford]/Oxford
[M5]/M5_motorway_(Great_Britain) near [Cheltenham]/Cheltenham
[A38]/A38_road_(Great_Britain) in [Gloucester]/Gloucester
[A48]/A48_road_(Great_Britain) near [Gloucester]/Gloucester
[A49]/A49_road_(Great_Britain) at [Bridstow]/Bridstow
West end at [Goodwick]/Goodwick ( [Fishguard]/Fishguard)

The road passes through the following counties and primary destinations:

England: [Greater London]/Greater_London, [Buckinghamshire]/Buckinghamshire, [Oxfordshire]/Oxfordshire, [Gloucestershire]/Gloucestershire, [Herefordshire]/Herefordshire
Wales: [Monmouthshire]/Monmouthshire, [Powys]/Powys, [Carmarthenshire]/Carmarthenshire, [Pembrokeshire]/Pembrokeshire

Primary destinations along the route include: [London]/London, [Beaconsfield]/Beaconsfield, [High Wycombe]/High_Wycombe, [Oxford]/Oxford, [Cheltenham]/Cheltenham, [Gloucester]/Gloucester, [Ross-on-Wye]/Ross-on-Wye, [Monmouth]/Monmouth, [Abergavenny]/Abergavenny, [Brecon]/Brecon, [Llandovery]/Llandovery, [Llandeilo]/Llandeilo, [Carmarthen]/Carmarthen, [Haverfordwest]/Haverfordwest, [Fishguard]/Fishguard

The A40 forms part of the broader Roads in the United Kingdom network, including Motorways and A and B road zones in Great Britain.

History

18th century

The road between Beaconsfield and Stokenchurch, that later became part of the A40, was put under the management of a [Turnpike trust]/Turnpike_trust by the Beaconsfield and Stokenchurch Road Act 1718 ([5 Geo. 1]/5_Geo._1).

20th century

The 1923 route of the A40 was from the [City of London]/City_of_London to Fishguard. The road still begins and ends in the same places, but a number of changes have been made to its route.

On 1 April 1937, parts of the road and the [A48 road]/A48_road were classed to form the London–Fishguard [Trunk road]/Trunk_road. Part of the road was also made part of the Newport–Shrewsbury trunk road.
The first change dates from 1935, between [Ross-on-Wye]/Ross-on-Wye and [Abergavenny]/Abergavenny. The original route of the A40 was via [Skenfrith]/Skenfrith, avoiding Monmouth; this road was renumbered the B4521. The A40 was rerouted via [Raglan]/Raglan,_Monmouthshire; between Ross and Raglan it replaced part of the A48, between Raglan and Llanvihangel‑nigh‑Usk it replaced the B4234, and between Llanvihangel and Abergavenny it replaced part of the A471.
Subsequently, the A40 was rerouted within west London. Western Avenue dates from the 1930s, but was originally opened as the A403. After the Second World War, the A40 was rerouted along part of the A219 (west of Notting Hill) and Western Avenue. The old route (via Acton, Ealing, Southall, Hayes, Hillingdon and Uxbridge) was renumbered the A4020.
Initially, the A40 went through the centre of Oxford, via [Headington]/Headington, [Magdalen Bridge]/Magdalen_Bridge, the [High Street]/High_Street,_Oxford, [Carfax]/Carfax,_Oxford and [Botley]/Botley,Oxfordshire, and over the [Swinford Toll Bridge]/Swinford_Toll_Bridge to [Eynsham]/Eynsham. It was rerouted in the 1930s to follow the first section of the [Oxford Ring Road]/Oxford_Ring_Road to the north of the city, and then followed a direct line to [bypass]/Bypass(road) Eynsham. The old route became part of the [A420]/A420_road to Botley, and the section between Botley and Eynsham was renumbered the A4141, later renumbered again in the 1960s to the B4044.

From the 1960s to 1990s a number of bypasses were built to divert the A40 around towns on the route, including Gloucester (1968), Monmouth (1964), Brecon (1980), Carmarthen (1984), St. Clears (1984), Whitland (1994).

In the mid‑1980s a new dual carriageway was built for the A40 between Raglan and Abergavenny, and the 1935 route was renumbered the B4598.

Route

Central London – Denham

Main article: [A40 road in London]/A40_road_in_London

In central London the A40 follows [High Holborn]/High_Holborn and then [Oxford Street]/Oxford_Street. At [Marble Arch]/Marble_Arch it joins the [A5]/A5_road_(Great_Britain) [Edgware Road]/Edgware_Road as far as the Marylebone Flyover to become [Westway]/Westway_(London) (classified A40(M) as an elevated motorway) then meets [Western Avenue]/Western_Avenue,_London. For the greater part, this section is six lanes, otherwise four lanes. With two exceptions, Western Avenue forms a grade‑separated motorway standard dual‑carriageway between Paddington and the [M40]/M40_motorway. The two [at‑grade intersections]/At-grade_intersection are Gypsy Corner and Savoy Circus; both of which are [traffic light]/Traffic_light controlled. At [Denham Roundabout]/Denham_Roundabout, the six‑lane Western Avenue flows into the [M40]/M40_motorway.

Denham – Oxford

The A40 branches off the Denham roundabout to run as a dual carriageway. After the junction with the [A413]/A413_road, the A40 follows the same route as the M40 as a single carriageway, passing through [Beaconsfield]/Beaconsfield and [High Wycombe]/High_Wycombe. Beyond [Stokenchurch]/Stokenchurch the road is much quieter; when meeting the B4009 and A329 those roads have priority. Approaching [Oxford]/Oxford, the A40 becomes a busy dual carriageway, carrying traffic from the M40 to Oxford and beyond. The road forms the northern section of the [Oxford Ring Road]/Oxford_Ring_Road, crossing the [A44]/A44_road and the [A34]/A34_road. In Oxford, it passes the Thornhill Park and Ride, where the OxfordTube, The Airline to Heathrow & Gatwick, & Oxford Park and Ride buses stop.

Oxford – Cheltenham (M5)

The A40 passes under the [A34]/A34_road_(England), reverting to single carriageway for 10 mi (16 km) until the dual carriageway just east of [Witney]/Witney with a grade‑separated junction. The dual carriageway finishes at a roundabout. For the rest of [Oxfordshire]/Oxfordshire and [Gloucestershire]/Gloucestershire until [Cheltenham]/Cheltenham, other than for a few short stretches, the road is single carriageway. A height of 820 ft (250 m) above sea level is located 3 mi (4.8 km) west of the A429 junction. Before [Andoversford]/Andoversford the [A436]/A436_road_(Great_Britain) breaks off to the west to try to take traffic away from descending into the centre of Cheltenham itself. The road travels through Cheltenham town centre along at least two parallel routes (neither is part of a one‑way system: Sandford Road and Montpellier Terrace make up one part, Thirlestaine Road and Suffolk Road the other). Becoming a dual carriageway, it passes [GCHQ]/GCHQ in Cheltenham and the [three‑level stacked roundabout interchange]/Roundabout_interchange with the [M5]/M5_motorway. In February 2015, the Witney Oxford Transport Group proposed the reopening of [Yarnton railway station]/Yarnton_railway_station as an alternative to improvements to the A40 road proposed by [Oxfordshire County Council]/Oxfordshire_County_Council.

Cheltenham (M5) – Abergavenny

The A40 is the [Gloucester]/Gloucester bypass, most of which is dual carriageway. The junction with the [A48]/A48_road to [Chepstow]/Chepstow is at Highnam. For the remainder of Gloucestershire, and a part of [Herefordshire]/Herefordshire, the road is single carriageway until [Ross-on-Wye]/Ross-on-Wye. There it connects with the [M50]/M50_motorway_(Great_Britain), and forms part of the high quality dual carriageway between [South Wales]/South_Wales and the [English Midlands]/English_Midlands. From Ross-on-Wye to [Monmouth]/Monmouth the road follows the [Wye Valley]/Wye_Valley, an [Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]/Area_of_Outstanding_Natural_BBeauty, crossing the [Wales–England border]/Wales%E2%80%93England_border 1 mi (1.6 km) east of Monmouth. Just west of Monmouth are twin tunnels; these are the only tunnels on the A40. Near [Raglan]/Raglan,_Monmouthshire, the A40 has a grade separated junction with the [A449]/A449_road. The A40 continues as a dual carriageway to [Abergavenny]/Abergavenny.

Abergavenny – M50 junctions

(For a detailed junction table, see the guideline at [Wikipedia:RJL]/Wikipedia:RJL.)

The remainder of the route includes a series of junctions, roundabouts and slip roads linking to various A‑roads and motorways, including but not limited to:

[The Midlands]/Midlands [Worcester]/Worcester,England ( [M50]/M50_motorway(Great_Britain) )
[Ross-on-Wye]/Ross-on-Wye
[Hereford]/Hereford ( [A49]/A49_road_(England) )
[Goodrich]/Goodrich,_Herefordshire)
[Whitchurch]/Whitchurch,_Herefordshire), [Symond’s Yat]/Symond%27s_Yat (West)
[Monmouth]/Monmouth ( [A466]/A466_road_(Great_Britain) )
[Chepstow]/Chepstow ( [A466]/A466_road_(Great_Britain) ), [Forest of Dean]/Forest_of_Dean ( [A4136]/A4136_road_(Great_Britain) )
[Newport]/Newport,Wales ( [A449]/A449_road(Great_Britain) )
[Abergavenny]/Abergavenny ( [A4042]/A4042_road_(Great_Britain) )

The route continues through a series of interchanges, including the [Raglan Interchange]/Raglan_Junction, the [Mitchel Troy Junction]/Mitchel_Troy, and the [Clytha]/Clytha, before reaching the western terminus at [Goodwick]/Goodwick ( [Fishguard]/Fishguard).

Gallery

[High Holborn]/High_Holborn
[New Oxford Street]/New_Oxford_Street
[Marble Arch]/Marble_Arch
The [Hoover Building]/Hoover_Building as seen from the A40 Western Avenue in [Perivale]/Perivale
A40 at [Monmouth]/Monmouth
Western end of A40 at Goodwick