Kingsway (A34)

Kingsway in East Didsbury, at the junction with Parrs Wood Lane and Wilmslow Road

Kingsway is a dual carriageway in Greater Manchester, England, which runs from Levenshulme to Cheadle. Part of the A34, it was built in the late 1920s between Levenshulme and Parrs Wood, and later extended to bypass Cheadle and join onto the M60 motorway. It is approximately 7.3 miles long and is a link road between the city centre and the southern suburbs of Greater Manchester.^[1]

History

Kingsway crossing the Mersey

It was constructed in stages, from 1928, and completed in 1930.^[2] It was built as relief for the congested Wilmslow Road to the west. It was named after King George V and was originally numbered A5079. A dual carriageway, it was one of the earliest purpose-built roads especially for motor vehicles, though it also contained tram lines which remain today.^[2] In 1959, it was extended south across the river Mersey to bypass Cheadle and later renumbered to A34 in 1967.

Route

Kingsway facing north towards Gatley

Kingsway runs in a south-westerly direction until the junction with the M60 motorway, when it curves around to run south-east. It begins in Levenshulme continuing from Slade Lane, and heads south-west through Fallowfield, Ladybarn, Burnage, and Parrs Wood where it originally ended. It continues south-west through East Didsbury, until it reaches the motorway, and then it heads south-east through Gatley and Cheadle, before it joins to the Handforth bypass at Cheadle Royal which was opened in 1995.^[1] The junction with the A560 road in Gatley is one of the busiest in Greater Manchester with over 7000 vehicles passing through during the rush hour.

Places of interest

Parrs Wood Entertainment Centre in East Didsbury is on Kingsway.

References

1 2 Haywood, Russell (2009). Railways, urban development and town planning in Britain: 1948–2008. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 259. ISBN 0-7546-7392-8.
1 2 Rowley, Trevor (2006). The English landscape in the twentieth century. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 20. ISBN 1-85285-388-3.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

Journey along Kingsway key artery of south Manchester and pioneering road

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kingsway, Manchester.

Areas and streets of Manchester

Public areas	Albert Square Cathedral Gardens Exchange Square Piccadilly Gardens Shambles Square St Peter's Square

Streets	A5103 road Canal Street Cheetham Hill Road Corporation Street Deansgate King Street Kingsway Market Street Mosley Street New Cathedral Street Oldham Street Oxford Road Portland Street Princess Street Quay Street Sackville Street Spring Gardens Whitworth Street Wilmslow Road

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