A120 road
Encyclopedia
The A120 is an important trunk road
in southern England
. It follows the course of Stane Street, a Roman road from Standon, Hertfordshire
at its western terminus to Colchester
. From Colchester the A120 leads roughly east to Harwich
, on the way carrying much traffic from Stansted Airport.
The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroute
E32
.
in several places, such that the old Roman road can be easily traced on a map, with the current designated A120 being less straight. From west to east, the A120's bypasses are:
scheme of London roads, going to be part of an outer ring road for London. However, the Ringway projects were scrapped, and the implications of extending the A120 to the west were too great.
The western end of the A120 terminates at the A10, which was recently upgraded such that the route from the A120 south to the M25 motorway
is all dual-carriageway road (although some of this passes through Broxbourne
and Cheshunt
). As such, the A120 is now carrying more traffic from the M11, that wishes to avoid the heavily-congested M25.
and A120, it is proposed that a new junction on the A120, replacing two existing ones, will be built to inprove access to Stansted Airport.
container port at Harwich International Port. Plans for consultation were put on hold in August 2009.
and the junction with the A12. In July 2009 the proposed improvements were 'scrapped'.
Trunk road
A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more cities, ports, airports, and other things.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic...
in southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It follows the course of Stane Street, a Roman road from Standon, Hertfordshire
Standon, Hertfordshire
Standon is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire. The parish includes the adjoining village of Puckeridge. The village church of St Mary has Saxon origins with much Victorian restoration.The Prime Meridian passes to the west of Standon....
at its western terminus to Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
. From Colchester the A120 leads roughly east to Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
, on the way carrying much traffic from Stansted Airport.
The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroute
International E-road network
The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe . The network is numbered from E 1 up and its roads cross national borders...
E32
European route E32
Route E 32 in the international E-road network is completely within the United Kingdom. Although the United Kingdom Government participates fully in activities concerning the E-routes , E-routes are not signposted within the United Kingdom....
.
Bypasses along the A120
The old A120 has been bypassedBypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
in several places, such that the old Roman road can be easily traced on a map, with the current designated A120 being less straight. From west to east, the A120's bypasses are:
- Bishop's StortfordBishop's StortfordBishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire in the county of Hertfordshire in England. It is situated just west of the M11 motorway, on the county boundary with Essex and is the closest large town to London Stansted Airport and part of the...
- the old A120 passes through the centre of town as the A1250, while the A120 now forms a semicircular bypass to the north of the town before rejoining its old course just before crossing the M11 motorwayM11 motorwayThe M11 motorway in England is a major road running approximately north from the North Circular Road in South Woodford in north-east London to the A14, north-west of Cambridge.-Route:...
. - M11M11 motorwayThe M11 motorway in England is a major road running approximately north from the North Circular Road in South Woodford in north-east London to the A14, north-west of Cambridge.-Route:...
to BraintreeBraintree, EssexBraintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
- the old A120 has been bypassed significantly in a recently finished building project which has created the new A120, a dual-carriageway road from the M11 at junction 8 all the way to the Braintree bypass. This bypass avoids the village of TakeleyTakeleyTakeley is a small village in Essex near Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England.When Takeley was first registered by the Normans in 1086-87 its boundaries were approximately 8 miles in length, with a total area of 3,000 acres . However, since the development of Stansted Airport, it has lost...
and the town of Great DunmowGreat DunmowGreat Dunmow is an ancient market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England in which the great Shannon Gray, also known as Hazzah Potter, lives...
.- The A120's M11 to BraintreeBraintree, EssexBraintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
bypass replaced a previous bypass of the A120 around Great DunmowGreat DunmowGreat Dunmow is an ancient market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England in which the great Shannon Gray, also known as Hazzah Potter, lives...
, which stopped traffic heading to the ports of the east coast from passing directly through the historic town centre.
- The A120's M11 to Braintree
- Braintree - a dual-carriageway carries the A120 around the south of Braintree, rejoining its old route on the eastern edge of the town.
- A few miles east of Braintree at the small town of CoggeshallCoggeshallCoggeshall is a small market town of 3,919 residents in Essex, England, situated between Colchester and Braintree on the Roman road of Stane Street , and intersected by the River Blackwater. It is known for its almost 300 listed buildings and formerly extensive antique trade...
, the A120 takes a large semicircular detour to the north of the town. This is a particularly large deviation, as the original route passed through the south of the town, but the land to the south is marshy and thus the northern bypass was constructed. - To the east of Colchester the A120 intersects the A12, and joinsConcurrency (road)A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
the route of the A12. This passes to the northwest of Colchester, before the A12 splits off and heads north-northeast, whereupon the A120 re-emerges, heading roughly east. The £22.7m eight-mile Colchester Eastern Bypass opened in June 1982. - The section East of Colchester was previously numbered the A604
- At Harwich the A120 passes to the north of the town, heading straight for the cargo ports, whereas the old route can be seen on a map clearly passing through the centre of the town.
Other information
The A120 was, at one point in the RingwayLondon Ringways
The London Ringways were a series of four ring roads planned in the 1960s to circle London at various distances from the city centre. They were part of a comprehensive scheme developed by the Greater London Council to alleviate traffic congestion on the city's road system by providing high speed...
scheme of London roads, going to be part of an outer ring road for London. However, the Ringway projects were scrapped, and the implications of extending the A120 to the west were too great.
The western end of the A120 terminates at the A10, which was recently upgraded such that the route from the A120 south to the M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
is all dual-carriageway road (although some of this passes through Broxbourne
Broxbourne
Broxbourne is a commuter town in the Broxbourne borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England with a population of 13,298 in 2001.It is located 17.1 miles north north-east of Charing Cross in London and about a mile north of Wormley and south of Hoddesdon...
and Cheshunt
Cheshunt
Cheshunt is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of around 52,000 according to the United Kingdom's 2001 Census. It is a dormitory town and part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt served by Cheshunt railway station...
). As such, the A120 is now carrying more traffic from the M11, that wishes to avoid the heavily-congested M25.
M11 and A120 Stansted Generation 2 Airport Access
A joint scheme involving work to junctions on the M11M11 motorway
The M11 motorway in England is a major road running approximately north from the North Circular Road in South Woodford in north-east London to the A14, north-west of Cambridge.-Route:...
and A120, it is proposed that a new junction on the A120, replacing two existing ones, will be built to inprove access to Stansted Airport.
A120 Hare Green to Harwich
There are proposals to upgrade the A120 from Hare Green to Harwich which is currently a mixture of single carriageway and dual-carriageway as required by approval for the new Bathside BayHarwich International Port
Harwich International Port is a North Sea seaport in Essex, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Stour one mile upstream from the town of Harwich, opposite Port of Felixstowe...
container port at Harwich International Port. Plans for consultation were put on hold in August 2009.
A120 Braintree to Marks Tey
There were proposals to turn the A120 into a dual carriageway between BraintreeBraintree, Essex
Braintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
and the junction with the A12. In July 2009 the proposed improvements were 'scrapped'.