UK Roads - Numbering Quirks - Lost Motorways - Central Newcastle Motorway
John Griffiths wrote on 23rd June 02:
The A167(M) – the Central Motorway in Newcastle – has some shockers. Slip roads from minor roads joining in the fast lane; a major exit from the fast lane; if travelling from the Great North Road (northbound) heading for the coast, you join the motorway slip, pass (slowly) round a tight curve, join the main motorway in the fast lane, and have to cross two lanes of traffic to exit almost immediately from the slow lane.
Switch Island wrote on 26th June 02:
I recall that proposal too... in the 1960s there were ambitious plans to build a whole inner box of motorways circling Newcastle upon Tyne, meaning much demolition of some of the finest Georgian streets as well (like Grey Street and Blackett Street)... these were all to be linked with walkways in the sky passing between new civic complexes such as the library and shopping centre (now Eldon Square). A motorway was planned to run from the Redheugh Bridge area to past near where the existing Central Motorway crosses the Great North Road, but passing westwards through the city. This would be bisected by an East - West motorway running from St James to Pilgrim Street via Blackett Street and linking with the current A167(M) at Shieldfield Roundabout. Another one was planned passing north of the city centre to link Jesmond with the Claremont Road dual carriageway...
Thankfully none of these plans (PDF, 1.82MB) materialised other than the West Motorway (now of course the Central Motorway) but you can see evidence of where the routes were planned to pass by looking at the elevated walkways linking the Central Library with John Dalton Street and other points in the city: these were the only parts of the "grand vision" that ever got built – as well as the ugly Central Library building. Thank god they all saw sense then!
Please send me your corrections or additions to this section.