For other uses, see A40 (disambiguation), for details of the A40 in London, see A40 road (London).

A40 road
Holborn Viaduct carries the A40
Part of E30
Major junctions
East end:	City of London
	see also: A40 road (London) A1 road A501 road A5 road A406 road A312 road M40 motorway Junction 1 A413 road A355 road M40 motorway Junction 3 A404 road M40 motorway Junction 5 A329 road M40 motorway Junction 8/8A A418 road A420 road A44 road A361 road A429 road A436 road A435 road A46 road M5 motorway Junction 11 A38 road A417 road A48 road A49 road A466 road A449 road A465 road A470 road A483 road A48 road A477 road A478 road A487 road
West end:	Fishguard
Location
Primary destinations:	Uxbridge Beaconsfield High Wycombe Oxford Cheltenham Gloucester Ross-on-Wye Monmouth Abergavenny Brecon Carmarthen Haverfordwest
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways • A and B road zones

The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road (A40) in all legal documents and Acts. It is 256 miles (412 km) long.

It is one of the few remaining of the "old" trunk routes not to have been superseded by a direct motorway link, though some parts, such as the southern section from London to Oxford are now better served by the M40. Part of the A40 forms a section of the unsigned Euroroute E30, which the Welsh Assembly Government refers to as "one of the lowest standard sections of the Trans European Road Network in the United Kingdom"^[1]

History[link]

The original (1923) route of the A40 was the 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.^[2]

The first change dates from 1935, between Ross-on-Wye and Abergavenny. The original route of the A40 was via Skenfrith; this road was renumbered the B4521. The A40 was rerouted via Raglan; 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.

Route[link]

Central London - Denham[link]

For the A40 in London, see A40 road (London).

In central London it is named High Holborn, then Oxford Street. At Marble Arch it joins the A5 Edgware Road as far as the Marylebone Flyover to become Westway; formerly classified A40(M) as an elevated motorway, it has now been downgraded to 'A' road status. It takes the A40 to meet Western Avenue. With two exceptions, Western Avenue forms a grade-separated motorway standard dual-carriageway between Paddington (Westway) and the M40 motorway, which goes off towards Oxford and Birmingham. The two exceptions are Gypsy Corner and Savoy Circus, both of which cause the traffic to stop at traffic lights. For the greater part, the road is six lanes wide, with stretches of four lane road. At Denham Roundabout, the six lane Western Avenue becomes the M40.

Denham - Oxford[link]

The A40 branches off Denham roundabout and runs alongside the M40 as a dual carriageway, concurrent with the A413. After the A413 branches off the A40 becomes single carriageway, still roughly following the route of the M40, passing through the towns of Beaconsfield and High Wycombe. Beyond Stokenchurch the road is much quieter, when meeting the B4009 and A329 those roads have priority. East of Oxford the A40 becomes a busy dual carriageway again, carrying traffic from the M40 to Oxford and beyond. The route forms the Eastern section of the Ring road crossing the A44 and A34 at the Northern tip.

Oxford - Cheltenham (M5)[link]

After the road passes under the A34, the A40 reverts back to single carriageway for 10 miles (16 km). It then turns to dual carriageway again to form the Witney bypass, with a grade separated junction. The dual carriageway then finishes at a roundabout. For the rest of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire until Cheltenham, other than for a few short stretches, the road is single carriageway. This section has the highest point of the entire A40 which is 250 m (820 ft) above sea level, located 5 km west of the A429 junction. Before Andoversford the A436 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). Afterwards it becomes dual carriageway out of Cheltenham (past GCHQ) and has a junction with the M5 motorway. The junction is a three-level stacked roundabout, where neither road is interrupted.

Cheltenham (M5) - Abergavenny[link]

The A40 then forms the Gloucester bypass, most of which is dual carriageway. The junction with the start of the A48 to Chepstow and South Wales is at Highnam. For the remainder of Gloucestershire, and a part of Herefordshire, the road is single carriageway until Ross-on-Wye. It then connects with the M50 motorway, and then forms part of the high quality dual carriageway between South Wales and the West Midlands. In Monmouthshire, the A40 has a grade separated junction with the A449, which continues as dual carriageway to Newport and the M4. The A40 travels west, still as dual carriageway, to Abergavenny.

Abergavenny - Carmarthen[link]

Beyond Abergavenny road returns to single carriageway, for a trip through the eastern Brecon Beacons until Brecon. The section between Abergavenny and Brecon has one of the highest points of the A40 which is 200 metres (660 ft) above sea level and is located at Bwlch, which is Welsh for 'mountain pass'. The Brecon Bypass is a short, lightly trafficked dual carriageway which runs around the south of the town. At the end of the Brecon bypass the roads returns to a single carriageway and forms the northern edge of the Brecon Beacons until Llandeilo. From here the A40 continues until Carmarthen. At Carmarthen the A40 forms the eastern Carmarthen bypass as a dual carriageway, and meets up with the A48 at Pensarn. The section of the road from Abergavenny to Carmarthen offers stunning scenery (looking from Bwlch eastwards towards Abergavenny is a highlight) as well as being an excellent drivers' road, with fast open sections as well as tighter hedge-lined sections. Driving time from Abergavenny to Carmarthen is between 60 and 90 minutes.

Carmarthen - Fishguard[link]

At Carmarthen, the road "takes over" the main thoroughfare from the Motorway Network to Ireland from the A48 which ends at Carmarthen. Here, the A40 crosses the River Towy bridge by two 90-degree junctions, before continung to St Clears with 10 miles (16 km) of dual carriageway. After this, the road is a mixture of 2 and 3 lane single carriageway until it ends in Fishguard. This section of road, which is controlled by the Welsh Assembly Government is described by itself as "one of the lowest standard sections of the Trans European Road Network in the United Kingdom".^[3] As a result, a number of improvements have been made or planned for this stretch.

Haverfordwest to St Clears dualling

There were plans in 2002 for a major improvement of the 23-mile stretch between Haverfordwest and St Clears, which included the stretch to be upgraded to a dual carriageway. This was described as an extension to the M4 motorway network to the West Wales Coast, by virtue of it being a dual carriageway from the M4 motorway via the A48.^[4] The £60 million scheme was subject to a European Environmental Assessment. Within a couple of years, the project appeared to be dying a very quiet death, causing local newspapers to report it being an election stunt for the two marginal constituencies that would best benefit from the improvements. The following Welsh elections saw both constituencies change the party of majority. The political party at the centre of the row instead directed the project deferment to damning environmental statements by Friends of the Earth Cymru.^[5][6] The scheme was officially scrapped in 2008 after a Welsh Assembly committee decided to abandon the proposals. Instead, it recommended upgrades to the existing route including bypasses around Robeston Wathen and Llanddewi Velfrey using a three-lane option. This was welcomed by the Friends of the Earth, saying "The dual carriageway on the A40 would increase traffic levels, increase the emission of greenhouse gases, it would be harmful for the environment, it would be hugely expensive. That money would be better spent on improving public transport, on health, on education, there's no need for it. We think the assembly committee has come to the right decision".^[7]

Whitland Bypass

The last improvement to the A40 on this section prior to the Welsh Assembly Government having the devolved responsibility for this road was a 4.1 kilometres (2.5 mi) £8 million bypass around Whitland. Constructed in 1994, the road started east of Black Bridge on the original A40, then running north of the town before rejoining the A40 at a new roundabout just west of Llain Cottage. The Secretary of State for Wales was asked a written question by Rhodri Morgan about adding a second carriageway to the Whitland bypass scheme, to which John Redwood replied "There are no proposals to add a second carriageway to the Whitland bypass. The design capacity of a single carriageway two-lane highway is more than adequate to cater with the anticipated traffic flows for the foreseeable future."^[8]

Llanddewi Velfrey Bypass

A new by-pass has been granted approval by the Welsh Assembly Government at Llanddewi Velfrey in Pembrokeshire. The scheme would improve the A40 between Llanddewi Velfrey and Penblewin, to the west of St Clears and meet the aim of the targeted investment in infrastructure along the east-west road corridor in south Wales.^[9] From the east, it is proposed that a roundabout would be created just north of Glenfield Farm, where the straight section from St Clears ends at Bethel Chapel, and then take a new route north-west of the town of Llanddewi Velfrey, south-west over Pentroydin Fawr and Penttroydin Fech farms with cattle underpasses, a new underpass beneath the existing Llanddewi Velfrey to Llanfallteg road, before going over the original A40 at Ffynnon Wood. To the west of Ffynnon Wood, the road would then cross back over the original A40 to the east of Henllan Lodge in a way to maintain the tree lined avenue to Henllan, then run parallel to the A40 on the north side of the existing A40 to a new roundabount at Penblewin and the A478 road.^[10]

This was originally known as the Blue and Purple routes during the Consultation in 2006^[11] for which 75% preferred the blue route, and only 20% preferred the red route. 54% felt the section from Ffynnon Wood and Penblewin Roundabound needed improvement, with both orange and purple routes preferred by 42% of the respondents. Welsh Water/Dwr Cymru expressed concerns with the red route affecting water mains and sewers, and Henllanfallteg Community Council felt the red route would not improve the quality of life in Llanddewi Velfrey. Pembrokeshire County Council expressed concerns that the route planned was a single carriageway, and that within seven years, a dual carriageway would be required.

Robeston Wathen Bypass

A new by-pass has been constructed between Penblewin and Slebech Park making the road straighter and with a '2+1' road layout to help improve overtaking opportunities. This is the first time this design has been introduced in Wales.^[12]

Starting to the west of Toch Lane (approx. 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Slebech), the route travels eastwards for 4.6 kilometres (2.9 mi), passing 200 metres (660 ft) south of Robeston Wathen, and ending 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) east of the village, just west of Flimstone Lane.

Construction started on the route in February 2009, with the works completed and the new road opening 1 March 2011. The road was built by Costain. The scheme was nearly £14 million over the initial budget of £27.6 million, eventually costing £41.4 million. The Welsh Assembly Government explains this increase as being the result of inflation and land costs, saying the original budget did not include either, as well as additional statutory procedures, additional works following some design standards, and the increase in VAT.^[13]

The Kell

The Kell is located on a section of the A40 that forms a north-south corridor between Fishguard, 17 kilometres (11 mi) to the north and Haverfordwest, 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) to the south, close to Treffgarne and Spittal. The improvement saw about 0.48 kilometres (0.30 mi) of new trunk road commencing at a point on the trunk road approximately 622 metres south of the centreline of the junction of the A40 trunk road with the C3059 road to Spittal and extending in a generally northerly direction to a point approximately 112 metres south of the junction of the trunk road with the C3059 road to Spittal.^[14] This resulted in the road being rerouted through pasture to the east of the original road, taking a right hand bend about 160 metres (520 ft) south of The Old Mill, taking a 5.5% gradient, and rejoining the original road 210 metres (690 ft) north of The Kell. The original road has subsequently been converted to an access road for The Old Mill, Beavers Lodge and The Kell, accessing the new road at The Old Mill.

See also[link]

• British road numbering scheme

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: A40 road (Great Britain)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Edward Platt, Leadville: A Biography of the A40 (Picador, 2001). ISBN 0-330-39263-8.

Gallery[link]

• 

  High Holborn

• 

  New Oxford Street

• 

  Marble Arch

• 

  The Hoover Building, now a Tesco supermarket, is on the A40

• 

  The A40 at Monmouth

v t e A roads in Zone 4 of the Great Britain road numbering scheme A4 A40 A41 A42 A43 A44 A45 A46 A47 A48 A49 A403 A404 A405 A406 A412 A413 A414 A415 A417 A418 A419 A420 A421 A422 A423 A425 A426 A427 A428 A429 A431 A432 A433 A435 A441 A442 A444 A445 A446 A448 A449 A452 A453 A454 A456 A458 A461 A465 A468 A469 A470 A472 A473 A474 A475 A476 A477 A478 A482 A483 A484 A485 A486 A487 A488 A489 A490 A491 A493 A494 A496 A497 A498 A499 A4005 A4006 A4008 A4010 A4012 A4018 A4025 A4032 A4037 A4040 A4042 A4050 A4053 A4054 A4055 A4059 A4060 A4061 A4063 A4067 A4069 A4074 A4076 A4080 A4085 A4094 A4103 A4107 A4109 A4113 A4117 A4118 A4119 A4123 A4130 A4133 A4135 A4136 A4138 A4142 A4146 A4148 A4150 A4155 A4160 A4161 A4169 A4173 A4174 A4202 A4212 A4216 A4217 A4221 A4226 A4230 A4232 A4234 A4240 A4241 A4260 A4289 A4361 A4400 A4536 A4540 List of A roads in Zone 4 List of B roads in Zone 4

v t e Transport in Buckinghamshire Road Motorways M1 · M4 · M25 · M40 A-Roads A4 · A40 · A41 · A404 · A412 · A413 · A418 · A421 · A422 · A428 · A4010 · A4012 · A4146 · A4155 · A5 · A508 · A509 · A5130 Roman roads Akeman Street · Watling Street Notable Junctions Handy Cross roundabout · Denham Roundabout · Magic Roundabout (High Wycombe) Motorway service stations Beaconsfield · Newport Pagnell Rail Main lines West Coast Main Line · Chiltern Main Line · Great Western Main Line Other lines Marston Vale Line · London to Aylesbury Line · Metropolitan line · Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line · Marlow Branch Line Closed lines Varsity Line · Great Central Main Line · Banbury to Verney Junction Branch Line · Brill Tramway · Wycombe Railway · Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway · Cheddington to Aylesbury Line · Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway · Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Line · Bedford to Northampton Line Other Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway · East West Rail Link · Buckinghamshire Railway Centre · Seer Green rail crash · List of railway stations Air Denham Aerodrome · Turweston Aerodrome · Silverstone Heliport · Wycombe Air Park · RAF Bases Waterways Rivers River Thames · River Great Ouse Canals Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway (under construction) · Grand Union Canal · Branches: Slough Arm · Wendover Arm · Aylesbury Arm Footpaths National Trails Thames Path · The Ridgeway Long-distance footpaths Icknield Way (path) · Chiltern Way · Greater Ridgeway · Midshires Way · Ouse Valley Way · Shakespeare's Way · Swan's Way Cycle Paths Route 4 · Route 6 · Route 50 · Route 51 · Route 57 · Route 61 · Route 70 Related articles v t e Transport in Milton Keynes Road Milton Keynes grid road system · A421 · A422 · A4146 · A5 · A509 · A5130 · H6 Childs Way · H10 Bletcham Way · V6 Grafton Street · V8 Marlborough Street Rail Bletchley railway station · Bletchley TMD · Bow Brickhill railway station · East West Rail Link · Fenny Stratford railway station · Marston Vale Line · Milton Keynes Central railway station · Varsity Line · West Coast Main Line · Woburn Sands railway station · Wolverton railway station · Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Line Bus Buses in Milton Keynes · Arriva Shires & Essex · Milton Keynes Coachway · MK Metro · Stagecoach in Northants · United Counties Omnibus Water Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway (under construction) · Cosgrove aqueduct · Grand Union Canal Other transport Milton Keynes redway system · Watling Street · Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway

v t e Transport in Carmarthenshire Road M4 motorway European route E30 A40 road A48 road A474 road A475 road A476 road A478 road A482 road A483 road A484 road A485 road A486 road A4069 road A4138 road A4213 road A4214 road A4242 road Bus First Cymru Veolia Transport Cymru National Express National Cycle Network Celtic Trail NCR 4 Railway lines West Wales Line Heart of Wales Line Swansea District Line Railway stations Heart of Wales Line Bynea Ffairfach Llandeilo Llandovery Llandybie Llangadog Llangennech Cynghordy Llanwrda Pantyffynnon West Wales Line Carmarthen Ferryside Kidwelly Llanelli Pembrey and Burry Port Whitland Air Pembrey Airport

v t e Transport in Monmouthshire Road M4 motorway European route E30 M48 motorway A40 road A449 road A465 road A472 road A4042 road A4136 road Bus Stagecoach Wales National Cycle Network Celtic Trail National Cycle Route 4 National Cycle Route 47 National Cycle Route 42 Railway lines South Wales Main Line Gloucester to Newport Line Welsh Marches Line Railway stations Abergavenny Caldicot Chepstow Pontypool and New Inn Severn Tunnel Junction Waterways Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal River Wye

v t e Transport in Pembrokeshire Road A40 A478 A487 National Cycle Network Celtic Trail NCR 4 NCR 47 Railway lines West Wales Line Railway stations Clarbeston Road Clunderwen Fishguard and Goodwick Fishguard Harbour Haverfordwest Johnston Kilgetty Lamphey Manorbier Milford Haven Narberth Pembroke Dock Pembroke Penally Saundersfoot Tenby Air Haverfordwest Aerodrome Sea Fishguard Harbour Pembroke Dock Milford Haven

v t e Transport in Powys Road A40 A44 A438 A458 A470 A479 A481 A483 A487 A488 A489 A490 A495 A4059 A4113 A4221 B4574 Footpaths Beacons Way Cambrian Way Epynt Way Glyndŵr's Way Marches Way Offa's Dyke Path Sarn Helen Severn Way Usk Valley Walk Wye Valley Walk Cycle routes Celtic Trail Elan Valley Trail Lake Vyrnwy Road Circuit Lon Cambria Lôn Las Cymru Radnor Ring Taff Trail Railway stations Cambrian Line Caersws Dovey Junction Machynlleth Newtown (Powys) Welshpool Heart of Wales Line Builth Road Cilmeri Dolau Garth (Powys) Knucklas Llanbister Road Llandrindod Llangammarch Llangynllo Llanwrtyd Pen-y-Bont Sugar Loaf Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway Castle Caereinion Cyfronydd Heniarth Llanfair Caereinion Sylfaen Welshpool Raven Square

Coordinates: 51°52′42″N 2°01′51″W / 51.87824°N 2.03084°W / 51.87824; -2.03084