A33 road

A33 road shield

A33 road

The A33 near Spencers Wood just south of Reading
Major junctions
From: Reading
  A329 A329 road
A4 A4 road
[[Image:Motorway Left.svg|[ |x30px|link=]] M4 motorway
A339 A339 road
Break In Road
A30 A30 road
A34 A34 road
Break In Road
[[Image:Motorway Left.svg|[ |x30px|link=]] M3 motorway
A27 A27 road
A35 A35 road
A335 A335 road
A3024 A3024 road
A3025 A3025 road
A3057 A3057 road
To: Southampton
Location
Primary
destinations:		 Basingstoke
Winchester
Road network

The A33 is a major road in England, situated in the counties of Berkshire and Hampshire. The road currently runs in three disjoint sections.

Route

Reading - Basingstoke

The A33 currently starts on the Inner Distribution Road and bypasses most of suburban Reading, servicing the Kennet Island residential development, Madejski Stadium and Green Park Business Park, towards the M4, where it connects at junction 11. A two-year redevelopment scheme ran from early 2008 until late 2010, widening the northern section of the dual carriageway and significantly expanding and improving the motorway junction. The Mereoak Roundabout south of the motorway was replaced with two separate junctions with traffic lights.[1]

The section south of the M4 is dual carriageway up to the county boundary with Hampshire, where it reverts to single carriageway towards Basingstoke.[2]

Basingstoke - Winchester

The second section of the A33 starts near Popham, southwest of Basingstoke at a junction with the A30. The road from here to Winchester is a scenic mix of single and dual carriageway, that was progressively improved in the late 1960s.[3] The route runs through much of the borough of Basingstoke and Deane. At Kings Worthy, the road diverts onto part of the original Winchester Bypass, constructed in the late 1930s,[4] up to the A34.

Southampton

The third section of A33 starts at the Chilworth Roundabout, a junction with the M3 and A27, and runs south into the centre of Southampton, then west past the docks to the M271.

History

The A33 originally started at a junction with what was the A32 at Riseley Common and was a continuous route to Southampton[5] Between Basingstoke and Southampton, it mostly followed the course of the historic Roman Road between these towns.[6] This section of the route became part of the London - Southampton Trunk Road.[7] The road was progressively detrunked as the M3 was extended.

The Winchester Bypass was constructed in the mid 1930s. While a significant improvement at the time, as other parts of the road were improved around it, it became increasingly ineffective and dangerous. The bypass was subsequently replaced by the completion of the M3 over Twyford Down, which generated a significant road protest.

References

  1. ↑ "M4 Junction 11 Improvements". Reading Borough Council. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  2. ↑ Andrew Hunter (13 March 1989). "Roads (Hampshire)". Hansard.
  3. ↑ "Road Programme". Hansard. 17 January 1968. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Edward Burgin (28 July 1937). "Basingstoke - Winchester Road". Hansard. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "List of Class I and Class II Roads and Numbers". HMSO. 1923. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "Half Inch MOT Map Sheets 33 and 38". Ordnance Survey. 1923. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  7. ↑ George Lucas (30 January 1951). "Road Accidents". Hansard. Retrieved 23 January 2013. The London—Southampton road, trunk roads A30 and A33—it is only 63 miles, because it starts outside London and, as in the other cases, does not include the county borough stretches

External links

Coordinates: 51°11′54″N 1°11′54″W / 51.19844°N 1.19837°W / 51.19844; -1.19837

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