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The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry. It then heads to Northampton and Wellingborough before running north of Rushden and Higham Ferrers and terminating at its junction with the A14 in Thrapston.
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Birmingham City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council, West Northamptonshire Council, North Northamptonshire Council, National Highways | ||||
| Length | 75.2 mi[1] (121.0 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  A4540 in Birmingham | |||
 M42 in Birmingham A46 near Coventry M45 near Dunchurch A5 near Weedon Bec M1 near Upper Heyford A43 near Northampton A6 in Higham Ferrers | ||||
| East end |   A14 / A605 in Thrapston | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||
| Counties | West Midlands, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire | |||
| Primary destinations | Birmingham, Birmingham Airport, Coventry, Northampton, Wellingborough | |||
| Road network | ||||
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Prior to the construction of the M6 motorway, it was the main route from the Midlands to Ipswich and to the Haven ports. When the A1-M1 link road section of the current A14 opened in 1994, most of the A45 to the east of Cambridge was re-designated as the A14 and some sections to the west were downgraded to B-roads (including the B645 between Higham Ferrers and St Neots).
History
editThe original (1923) route of the A45 was Birmingham to Ipswich. The road was extended to Felixstowe in 1935, replacing the A139. Around the same time, the A45 was rerouted around the south of Coventry when the city's southern bypass was completed ).
Initially, the A45 passed through Ipswich to Felixstowe; when the Ipswich bypass was completed in 1985, the road was diverted to pass over the Orwell Bridge which opened in 1982.
A bypass for the village of Eltisley was built in 1972, along with a bypass on the B1040 road. The 3-mile (4.8 km) £8 million St Neots bypass opened in December 1985 on what was then the A45.
Bypasses and realignments
edit- Small Heath (Now bypassed to the south)
- Meriden (Now bypassed to the north)
- Coventry (An early bypass to the south)
- Daventry (The route now follows the ring road)
- Weedon Bec and Flore (Bypassed to the north)
- Northampton (Bypassed, the former route being A4500)
- Higham Ferrers (Bypassed to the west of the town)
Re-designation
editWhen the new A14 link road between the A1 near Huntingdon and the M1 (at its junction with the M6) was opened to traffic in the mid-1990s, the Cambridge to Felixstowe stretch of the A45 was re-designated as the A14 (and many of the villages the route went through were bypassed) and the St Neots to Cambridge section became part of an extended A428. The route through Felixstowe at the end of the A14 is now the A154.[2]
Route
editBirmingham to Dunchurch
editThe road starts on the A4540 Birmingham Ring Road, bypassing Small Heath and crossing the B4145. It passes over the River Cole and meets the A4040 at a grade-separated junction at the Swan Shopping Centre in Yardley. It meets the B425 at traffic lights in Sheldon, then enters the borough of Solihull. The section of the A45 from Birmingham city centre to the M45 is all dual carriageway — urban dual carriageway with traffic lights until Birmingham Airport, then rural grade-separated between the airport and Coventry. The Bickenhill Junction (grade-separated) intersects with the B4438, a dual carriageway access road for the airport, N.E.C. and Birmingham International railway station. There is another grade-separated junction with the M42 junction 6 (three level grade separation with roundabout). On this junction, there is also access to the National Motorcycle Museum. The road meets the A452 at Stonebridge at a grade separated junction and passes over the River Blythe where the road briefly enters Warwickshire. Meriden is bypassed to the north. The Heart of England Way passes under the road, and the road enters the borough of Coventry.
The A45 becomes an urban road and skirts the south side of Coventry, crossing the A4114 near Allesley Park, the B4101 at Tile Hill, West Coast Main Line, A429 and B4113. Beyond here the road takes a more rural nature, with a grade-separated junction with the A46 and the A444 (three level roundabout with underpass for the A46 and the A444, and an overpass for the A45). Between here and the next junction, the A45 runs concurrent with the A46. The Tollbar End roundabout was one of the busiest in the Midlands. It had exits for the A46 north / Coventry Eastern Bypass, Coventry Airport and B4110. In early 2017, the Tollbar End roundabout was upgraded and the junction is now a roundabout interchange with an underpass for the A46. Crossing the River Avon, the road re-enters Warwickshire. The A423 exits to the south-east at a (grade-separated) forked junction near the former Peugeot factory. The A445 crosses at a roundabout near Ryton on Dunsmore, followed by the War Memorial Roundabout with the B4455 Fosse Way. This Portland stone memorial obelisk on the roundabout just north of Stretton-on-Dunsmore commemorates King George V's review of the 29th Division before they were sent to Gallipoli.[3] There is a further grade-separated junction with the A4071 and B4453 towards Rugby. The final roundabout on this section is the start of the M45 and the B4429. For 2 miles (3.2 km), the A45 runs concurrent with the M45 until a fairly new junction beyond Dunchurch. The B4429 carried the A45 until the new junction was built.
Dunchurch to Thrapston
edit
Heading towards Daventry, the road is single carriageway. The road passes two prisons: HMP Onley and HMP Rye Hill. After Willoughby, the road enters Northamptonshire, where it crosses the Oxford Canal and Grand Union Canal near Braunston. The Jurassic Way crosses the road here. The road enters Daventry and briefly runs concurrent with the A425 heading to Leamington Spa, then heads south-east on the Daventry bypass, here called the Stefen Way. The road meets the B4038 at a roundabout where the A425 exits. The road heads west past Dodford and then bypasses Weedon Bec, crossing the West Coast Main Line and Grand Union Canal and then meets the A5 at a roundabout constructed as part of the Daventry Development Link Road realignment which opened on 15 November 2018.[4] [5] This road also bypasses Flore, before meeting the grade-separated M1 Junction 16, briefly running concurrent with the M1.
The A45 resumes at M1 Junction 15 as a dual carriageway, heading around the south side of Northampton. It then meets the older route (made of sections of the A5076 and A4500) at the A45 / A508 grade-separated junction, near Northampton High School. It then crosses the River Nene and Nene Way, and after that, there is a large grade-separated junction with the A428 and the A5095). This section is concurrent with the A43, which exits at a grade-separated junction near Weston Favell. The grade-separated junction with the end of the A5076 is also the exit for Billing Aquadrome. The road has a grade-separated junction with the B573 near Earls Barton. The road then meets the Wellingborough bypass (A509) at a roundabout, although there is a segregated turn lane for westbound traffic wishing to continue on the A45. It runs concurrently with the A509 to the grade-separated junction near the bridge over the River Nene, where the A509 exits south near Irchester Country Park. East of Wellingborough, the road crosses the Midland Main Line. There is a grade-separated junction for the A5001 into Rushden and the route runs alongside the River Nene, offering a second turning to Rushden at a roundabout with the A5001 again; at this second junction, the original route to the A1 has been reclassified the B645. At the roundabout with the A6 near Higham Ferrers, it starts the follow the former route of the A605. The section of dual carriageway from the M1 now ends at the next roundabout and the route from there is now single carriageway. This is the start of the Raunds bypass. The next roundabout is with the B663. The route bypasses Ringstead and the A45 finishes at a grade-separated junction with the A14 (roundabout with overpass for the A14) near Thrapston.
Junction list
edit| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Jct | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | Birmingham | 0.0 | 0.0 |    A4540 / B4128 to Coventry Road / M5 / M6 / A38(M) – Small Heath | Western terminus | |
| 2.8– 3.1 | 4.5– 5.0 |  A4040 – Acocks Green, Yardley | Grade-separated junction | |||
| Bickenhill | 7.0– 7.6 | 11.3– 12.2 |  B4438 – Solihull, Hampton, Bickenhill, Catherine-de-Barnes | Grade-separated junction | ||
| Bickenhill–Hampton in Arden boundary | 7.8– 8.3 | 12.6– 13.4 |  M42 to M6 / M1 / M40 / M5 – Solihull, Lichfield | Grade-separated junction; destinations signed westbound only; M42 junction 6 | ||
| 8.7– 9.3 | 14.0– 15.0 |  A452 – Brownhills, Leamington  A452 to A4177 – Brownhills, Warwick, Chelmsley Wood, Coleshill, Balsall Common, Kenilworth | Grade-separated junction; Leamington signed eastbound only, To A4177 and other destinations signed westbound only | |||
| Great Packington–Meriden boundary | 9.9– 10.6 | 15.9– 17.1 | To B4102 – Fillongley, Maxstoke, Meriden | Grade-separated junction; To B4102 and Fillongley signed eastbound only | ||
| Coventry | 14.1– 14.5 | 22.7– 23.3 |  A4114 south-east – Coventry | North-western terminus of A4114 | ||
| 17.4 | 28.0 |  A429 (Kenilworth Road) – City centre, Earlsdon, Kenilworth | ||||
| 18.8– 19.3 | 30.3– 31.1 |  A46 south to A444 north / A452 / M40 / A4114 – Leamington, Warwick, Banbury, Coventry, Kenilworth, Whitley | Grade-separated junction; A444, to A114 and Coventry signed westbound only, Banbury and Kenilworth eastbound only; western terminus of A46 concurrency | |||
| 19.6– 19.9 | 31.5– 32.0 | Coventry Airport | Grade-separated junction; no eastbound exit | |||
| 20.1– 20.6 | 32.3– 33.2 |  A46 north to M6 / M69 – Leicester, Coventry (north & east)B4110 (London Road) – Willenhall | Eastern terminus of A46 concurrency | |||
| Warwickshire | Ryton-on-Dunsmore | 20.9– 21.1 | 33.6– 34.0 |  A423 south – Southam | Grade-separated junction; eastbound exit and westbound entrance; northern terminus of A423 | |
| 22.5 | 36.2 |  A445 south (Leamington Road) / Wolston Lane to A423 – Southam, Wolston | Northern terminus of A445 | |||
| Thurlaston | 26.5 | 42.6 |  A4071 north-east to B4453 – Rugby, Princethorpe | Grade-separated junction; To B4453 and Princethorpe signed westbound only | ||
| 27.4 | 44.1 | B4429 (Coventry Road) – Dunchurch, Thurlaston | Information signed eastbound only; western terminus of M45 concurrency; western terminus of M45 | |||
| Dunchurch | 28.9– 29.4 | 46.5– 47.3 | M45 east to M1 south – London, Northampton B4429 – Dunchurch, Southam, Banbury | No access from A45 west to M45 east or from M45 west to A45 east; Southam and Banbury signed westbound only; eastern terminus of M45 concurrency | ||
| Northamptonshire | Daventry | 35.4 | 57.0 |  A361 north (Drayton Way) to M1 north / M6 – Kilsby | Western terminus of A361 concurrency | |
| 36.0 | 57.9 | Braunston Way (A4256 east) – Town centre, Drayton | Western terminus of A4256 | |||
| 36.8 | 59.2 |  A425 west / Browns Road – Leamington, Staverton, Southam | Western terminus of A425 concurrency | |||
| 37.4– 37.6 | 60.2– 60.5 | A361 south – Banbury, Banby | Grade-separated junction; eastern terminus of A361 concurrency | |||
| 38.4 | 61.8 | South Way (A425 east) / London Road (B4038) / M1 / M5 / A361 – Town centre | To M1 and M5 signed eastbound only; eastern terminus of A425 concurrency | |||
| Dodford–Weedon Bec boundary | 41.8 | 67.3 | A5 (Watling Street) to M40 – Hinckley, Nuneaton, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Weedon | To M40 and Oxford signed eastbound only, Weedon westbound only | ||
| Upper Heyford | 45.1 | 72.6 | M1 north to M6 – The North, Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester A4500 east – Northampton | Coventry signed eastbound only; western terminus of M1 concurrency; western terminus of A4500; M1 junction 16 | ||
| Hunsbury Meadows–Rothersthorpe boundary | 48.4– 48.9 | 77.9– 78.7 | A43 south to M40 – Oxford, Northampton (west) | Northampton signed westbound only; western terminus of A43 concurrency; M1 junction 15A | ||
| Milton Malsor–Grange Park boundary | 50.9– 51.2 | 81.9– 82.4 | M1 south – London, Milton Keynes A508 south / Saxon Avenue – Stony Stratford, Grange Park | Eastern terminus of M1 concurrency; western terminus of A508 concurrency; M1 junction 15 | ||
| Grange Park | 51.6– 51.9 | 83.0– 83.5 | Grange Park | Grade-separated junction; westbound exit and entrance | ||
| Wootton–East Hunsbury boundary | 52.1– 52.4 | 83.8– 84.3 | Collingtree Park, East Hunsbury, Wootton | Grade-separated junction; no westbound entrance | ||
| Northampton | 53.1– 53.4 | 85.5– 85.9 | Town centre (A508 north), Sixfields, Hunsbury, Hardingstone | Grade-separated junction; Town centre signed eastbound only; eastern terminus of A508 concurrency | ||
| Hardingstone–Northampton boundary | 54.0– 54.7 | 86.9– 88.0 | Brackmills | Grade-separated junction | ||
| Northampton | 54.6– 55.1 | 87.9– 88.7 |  A428 – Town centre, Bedford, Brafield, Abington | Grade-separated junction | ||
| 56.4– 56.9 | 90.8– 91.6 | A43 north to A508 – Kettering, Market Harborough, Billing, Weston Favell | Grade-separated junction; eastern terminus of A43 concurrency | |||
| Billing–Northampton boundary | 57.7– 58.2 | 92.9– 93.7 | Cogenhoe, Billing | Grade-separated junction | ||
| Earls Barton | 60.0– 60.5 | 96.6– 97.4 | 10 | Earls Barton, Grendon, Castle Ashby, Whiston | Earls Barton signed eastbound only, Whiston westbound only | |
| Earls Barton–Great Doddington boundary | 61.8 | 99.5 | 11 | B573 – Great Doddington, Earls Barton | ||
| Great Doddington–Wellingborough boundary | 63.1 | 101.5 |   A509 north (Wilby Way) / Bourton Way to A6003 – Kettering, Wellingborough (west), Corby, Wilby | Western terminus of A509 concurrency | ||
| Wellingborough | 64.1– 64.4 | 103.2– 103.6 | 14 | A509 south – Wellingborough, Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell, Little Irchester, Great Doddington | Little Irchester and Great Doddington signed westbound only; eastern terminus of A509 concurrency | |
| Irchester–Rushden boundary | 66.4 | 106.9 | 16 |  A5001 east – Rushden, Irchester | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |
| Rushden | 67.5 | 108.6 | 17 | A5001 east / B645 (Northampton Road) – Rushden, Higham Ferrers | Roundabout; western terminus of A5001 | |
| Higham Ferrers | 69.1 | 111.2 |  A6 / A5028 south (Station Road) to A43 – Kettering, Corby, Bedford, Higham Ferrers, Finedon, Irthlingborough, Rushden | Northern terminus of A5028 | ||
| Thrapston | 75.2 | 121.0 | A14 – Kettering, Huntingdon, Cambridge A605 east – Peterborough, Thrapston, Titchmarsh, Oundle | Eastern terminus; southern terminus of A605; A14 junction 13 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
edit- ^ a b "52.4728222, -1.8741903 to Stefen Way, Daventry, UK to Thrapston Interchange, Thrapston, Kettering NN14 4UR, UK". Google Maps. Alphabet Inc. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey via Multimap". Retrieved 15 March 2010.
- ^ Nicholson, Jean et al: The Obelisks of Warwickshire, page 58. Brewin Books, 2013
- ^ "Roads.Org.Uk Road Schemes". Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ "A45 Daventry Development Link Road". Retrieved 24 November 2018.