A42 road
Encyclopedia
The A42 is a major trunk road
in the East Midlands
region of the United Kingdom. It links junction 23A of the M1 motorway
to junction 11 of the M42 motorway
. The A42 is in effect a continuation of the M42, and its junctions are numbered accordingly.
It is built to a similar standard to the M42 being a grade separated dual carriageway
. The 6 miles (9.7 km) Measham
and Ashby-de-la-Zouch
bypass section was opened in August 1989 at a cost of £33m.
A stretch of the A42 near Ashby has been selected as one of 5 possible East Midlands
locations for a proposed piece of public art
called the Sky Vault.
The original planned line of the M42 saw it taking a more northbound line, crossing what is now the A50 Derby Southern Bypass and meeting the M1 north of Bardills Island (A52/M1 interchange).
to Birmingham
via Oxford
. The whole road disappeared in 1935 - the section from Reading to Shillingford
became part of the A329
, Shillingford to Oxford became part of the A423
and Oxford to Birmingham became part of the A34. In 1993 the A423 was itself renumbered, with the section formerly the A42 becoming part of the A4074 from Reading to Oxford. Interestingly, the modern M42
does interchange with the ghost of the old A42 at J4 (Stratford Road now being numbered A34 to the north, A3400 south of there).
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 the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
region of the United Kingdom. It links junction 23A of the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
to junction 11 of the M42 motorway
M42 motorway
The M42 motorway is a major road in England. The motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre and Tamworth on the way. The section between the M40 and M6 road forms...
. The A42 is in effect a continuation of the M42, and its junctions are numbered accordingly.
It is built to a similar standard to the M42 being a grade separated dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
. The 6 miles (9.7 km) Measham
Measham
Measham is a village in Leicestershire, near the Staffordshire and Derbyshire border, located just off the A42 just south of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and within the National Forest...
and Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, — Zouch being pronounced "Zoosh" — often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France....
bypass section was opened in August 1989 at a cost of £33m.
A stretch of the A42 near Ashby has been selected as one of 5 possible East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
locations for a proposed piece of public art
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
called the Sky Vault.
Junctions
| A42 Road | ||
| Northbound exits | Junction | Southbound exits |
| Nottingham Nottingham Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group... A453 A453 road The A453 road was formerly the main trunk road connecting the English cities of Nottingham and Birmingham. However, the middle section of this mainly single-carriageway road has largely been downgraded to B roads or unclassified roads following the construction of the parallel M42-A42 link around... (North) East Midlands Airport, Diseworth Diseworth Diseworth is a village in the English county of Leicestershire. It is south of East Midlands Airport and off Junction 23A of the M1 motorway.A village of some 670 residents, it is located 14 km to the north-west of Loughborough and 2.5 km to the south-east of Castle Donington... A453 (West) Donington Park services Donington Park services Donington Park services is a motorway service station off the M1 motorway, A453 and A42 interchange near Kegworth, England.-Characteristics:It is owned by Moto and offers 20% discounts to all RAC members... (only) |
Terminus Roundabout M1 J23A |
Leicester Leicester Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest... M1 Start of road |
| Nottingham Nottingham Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group... , Sheffield Sheffield Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely... M1 |
No exit | |
| Tonge Tonge -People:*Jenny Tonge, British politician*Israel Tonge, English devine*Roger Tonge, British actor*Michael Tonge, English footballer*Dale Tonge, English footballer*Gavin Tonge, West-Indian cricketer-Places:... , Castle Donington Castle Donington Castle Donington is a village, with a population of around 7000 in the North West of Leicestershire, part of the Derby postcode area and on the edge of the National Forest. It is the closest town to East Midlands Airport.-Transport and housing:... A453 A453 road The A453 road was formerly the main trunk road connecting the English cities of Nottingham and Birmingham. However, the middle section of this mainly single-carriageway road has largely been downgraded to B roads or unclassified roads following the construction of the parallel M42-A42 link around... |
J14 | No exit |
| Ashby-de-la-Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch, — Zouch being pronounced "Zoosh" — often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France.... , Coalville Coalville Coalville is a town in North West Leicestershire, England, with a population estimated in 2003 to be almost 33,000. It is situated on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and... A511 A511 road The A511 road is a stretch of mainly single-carriageway road which runs northwest from junction 22 of the M1 motorway in Leicestershire, England to join the A50 between Uttoxeter and Derby.... Shepshed Shepshed Shepshed, often known until 1888 as Sheepshed, is a town in Leicestershire, England with a population of around 14,000 people... , Loughborough Loughborough Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University... A512 A512 road The A512 is an A road entirely in Leicestershire, UK. It links the primary destination of Loughborough with the M1, A42 road, and the town of Ashby de la Zouch.... |
J13 | Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Coalville A511 Shepshed, Loughborough A512 |
| Measham Measham Measham is a village in Leicestershire, near the Staffordshire and Derbyshire border, located just off the A42 just south of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and within the National Forest... , Snarestone Snarestone Snarestone is a small rural village in North West Leicestershire, England.It lies on the edge of the National Forest and is from the market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. It has a population of approximately 300 people and 120 households.... B4116 Ashby-de-la-Zouch B5006 |
J12 | Measham, Snarestone B4116 Ashby-de-la-Zouch B5006 |
| Start of road | J11 | Twycross Twycross Twycross is a small village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England on the A444 road. Parts of it are called Norton juxta — Latin for 'next to' — Twycross or Little Twycross... , Swadlincote Swadlincote Swadlincote is a town and unparished area in South Derbyshire, about southeast of Burton-upon-Trent and about south of Derby. It is the main town of South Derbyshire and the seat of South Derbyshire District Council.... , Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian".... A444 A444 road The A444 is a primary road running between Coventry and Burton on Trent in England, usually referred to as the "A treble four".-Route:Starting on the A4600 Sky Blue Way in Coventry, the road heads north on a dual carriageway road, crossing the M6 at junction 3. It bypasses Bedworth to the west and... Non motorway traffic |
| Twycross, Swadlincote, Burton upon Trent A444 | Road continues as M42 to Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... |
|
Bridging Link
The A42 was built by the Government in 1982 to link the M42 Northern Section to the M1; although it wasn't designated as motorway, and has no hard shoulder, the road is fully grade separated and runs with two lanes each way, the same as the M42 below it.The original planned line of the M42 saw it taking a more northbound line, crossing what is now the A50 Derby Southern Bypass and meeting the M1 north of Bardills Island (A52/M1 interchange).
History of the road number
The current road is the second incarnation of the A42. The original (1923) route was ReadingReading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
via Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. The whole road disappeared in 1935 - the section from Reading to Shillingford
Shillingford
Shillingford is a hamlet on the River Thames in Warborough civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England. It lies on the main road between Oxford and Reading, at the junction with the A329.-History:...
became part of the A329
A329 road
The A329 is an east-west road in Southern England that runs from Wentworth in Surrey to Thame in Oxfordshire. The A329 starts at the A30 in Surrey and passes through the towns of Ascot, Bracknell, Wokingham, Earley, Reading, the village of Pangbourne, and Wallingford in Oxfordshire...
, Shillingford to Oxford became part of the A423
A423 road
The A423 road is a primary A road in England which leads from central Banbury to the A45 near Coventry. It starts in Banbury town centre as Southam Road and goes through the Southam Road Industrial Estate, then just north of Banbury it crosses over the M40, from there it passes close to several...
and Oxford to Birmingham became part of the A34. In 1993 the A423 was itself renumbered, with the section formerly the A42 becoming part of the A4074 from Reading to Oxford. Interestingly, the modern M42
M42 motorway
The M42 motorway is a major road in England. The motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre and Tamworth on the way. The section between the M40 and M6 road forms...
does interchange with the ghost of the old A42 at J4 (Stratford Road now being numbered A34 to the north, A3400 south of there).