A47 road
Encyclopedia
The A47 is a trunk road
in England
originally linking Birmingham
to Great Yarmouth
. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114.
heading for Nuneaton
(most of which is the B4114) before passing Hinckley
, Earl Shilton
and going through Leicester
where it is subsumed into an inner ring-road. From there it passes through Uppingham
before entering Peterborough
. Here it forms Soke Parkway, part of Peterborough's Parkway road system. It passes through the city as a grade-separated dual carriageway, in contrast to the single carriageway route from Leicester. After Peterborough the road heads to Wisbech
and on into King's Lynn
. It then continues east passing Swaffham
and Dereham
and bypassing Norwich
to the south on the southern by-pass (the A47 previously formed the outer ring road). It then passes Blofield
and Acle
before reaching its final destination at Great Yarmouth
.
The original (1923) route of the A47 was Birmingham to Great Yarmouth, but there were some changes made to its route in the early years. At its eastern end, the A47 originally ran through Filby and Caister, with the Acle Straight bearing the number B1140. The A47 was rerouted along the Acle straight in 1935, with the old route being renumbered as the A1064 (Acle to Caister) and part of the A149 (Caister to Great Yarmouth).
The second change also dates from 1935. The A47 originally ran via Downham Market, not King's Lynn. In 1935 , it was rerouted via King's Lynn, replacing part of the A141 (Wisbech to King's Lynn) and part of the A17 (King's Lynn to Swaffham). The old route via Downham Market was renumbered as the A1122 (Outwell to Swaffham) and part of the A1101 (Wisbech to Outwell).
The third change took place some time before 1932. The original route of the A47 between Guyhirn and Wisbech was via Wisbech St Mary, with the direct route being part of the A141. This is because there was no road bridge over the River Nene at Guyhirn, and hence no junction between the A47 and the A141. Some time between 1923 and 1932 a bridge was built, and the A47 and the A141 swapped routes between Guyhirn and Wisbech.
Major improvements were made from the late 1970s until early in the 1990s. The 7 mile (11.3 km) £5 million part-dual-carriageway East Dereham Bypass built on part of the disused railway line was opened in spring 1978 followed by a five mile (8 km) part-dual-carriageway Swaffham Bypass, costing £5 million which was opened in June 1981. Bypasses for Uppingham (£1.4 million) and Blofield (£4 million) were opened in 1982 and 1983 respectively. The southern section of the Great Yarmouth Western Bypass was opened in May 1985 and the northern section in March 1986 at a cost of £19 million followed by improvements to the one mile (1.6 km) Postwick-Blofield section (£1.2 million) which was opened in November 1987. In 1989 Acle Bypass was completed as a cost of £7.1 million and the £1.2 million East Norton Bypass was opened in December 1990. The three mile (4.8 km) £9 million East Dereham-North Tuddenham Improvement opened in August 1992 and the £62 million Norwich southern Bypass in September 1992.
Escalating road protests
starting with Twyford Down
in 1992 and culminating with the Newbury bypass
in 1996 (at which over 1,000 people were arrested) led to over 300 road schemes being cancelled in November 1995 and to the cancellation of further schemes including the Thorney bypass by the new Labour government in 1997.
In 2002 the government announced a new road building programme which included the three mile (4.8 km) dual-carriageway Thorney bypass which opened on 14 December 2005.
and Great Yarmouth
known as the Acle Straight. The improvement of the Acle Straight has become a point of contention between interested parties due to its passage through the Norfolk Broads
, an area of important ecological and conservation significance that limits development. The study which recommended widening rather than dualling of the Acle Straight was opposed by the Broadland District Council
, Great Yarmouth Borough Council
, Norfolk Police Authority
and the majority of local respondents who believed that dualling of the road is necessary to improve road safety, decrease journey time and support the economic development of Great Yarmouth. Dualling was however strongly opposed by the Environment Agency
, the Council for National Parks (CNP)
and the Broads Authority
due to its impact on biodiversity and internationally important wildlife sites. These parties did cautiously support further investigation into the option for widening following further investigation of its environmental impact.
linking the A1067 road
and Norwich International Airport
to the A47. It is a priority scheme for Norfolk County Council and also for the East of England Regional Assembly
but it is also attracting strong opposition both locally and from environmental groups.
in the area between Hockering
and Lenwade
. Five different route options have been proposed which range from 1.5 km to 3.4 km of new road construction and an estimated construction cost of between £5.8 million - £9.1 million. Public consultation on the proposal was held between July and September 2007 with the most support given to Option 1 with positive responses from residents, businesses and Parish and District Councils. Although costing more than £5 million the scheme does not meet any of the targets of the Local Transport Plan
and so does not qualify for regional funding. Funding for the scheme must therefore be found by the County Council.
As of July 2009, no further progress on the proposal has been announced.
as the dual-carriageway Jennens Road, it meets the A4540
Middleway (middle ring road) one mile from the centre of Birmingham becoming Nechells
Parkway. It leads in a north-easterly direction meeting the B4132 at a roundabout becoming Saltley Road, is crossed by the Chase Line
and meets the B4114 at a roundabout. A new section of road begins as the Heartlands Parkway, following the Cross Country Route and River Rea
. It meets a roundabout and there is a roundabout with the B4137 at Nechells (for Star City
). It runs more or less parallel to the M6
for about three miles, crossing the railway at the Washwood Heath Viaduct. It meets the A4040
at a large roundabout which passes under the M6. It meets two roundabouts close to Fort Dunlop
and terminates at a roundabout ("Spitfire Island", hosting the "Sentinel" monument) with the A452
, halfway between the M6 Junction 5 and A38 Tyburn Island.
The route leading to Nuneaton was known as the A47 until 1986, when it was renumbered following the completion of the M42. http://www.cbrd.co.uk/indepth/roadnumbers/oddities.shtml
At Nuneaton the road re-emerges as Hinckley Road from a junction with the A444
, near the railway station
. Leaving Nuneaton, it passes North Warwickshire and Hinckley College
on the left, it meets the A4254 at a roundabout and the A5 Watling Street
near the Longshoot Hotel. It follows the A5 for a half-mile entering Leicestershire
and the district of Hinckley and Bosworth
, then leaves at a roundabout to bypass Hinckley to the north as Dodwells Road then Normandy Way (the working title of which was the Northern Perimeter Road), completed in the summer of 1994. The former route continues as the B4666. This section passes through a large industrial estate and close to a Tesco
, crossing the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal
. It meets a roundabout near the Triumph
motorbike factory. It meets the A447 and B4667 at crossroads, then meets the B4668 former route at a roundabout, becoming Leicester Road then Carrs Hill. This section to Leicester runs parallel with the M69
. It passes close to Barwell
, then enters Earl Shilton
as Hinckley Road, passing the Heathfield High School, meeting the B581 near the Lord Nelson.
The road forms the boundary between the Hinckley and Bosworth district and Blaby
district as Hinckley Road at Long Spinneys, where the road has cycle lanes
on either side. The Earl Shilton bypass is being built and joins the road here. At a right turn for Thurlaston
, the road enters the district of Blaby, and there is a left turn for Desford
and the large Caterpillar factory. It passes through Leicester Forest West
and the Bulls Head on the right and near to the B582 crossroads, there is the BP
Desford garage. It climbs up a hill and enters Leicester Forest East
, crossing the M1
near the service station. It passes the Red Cow Hotel on the left and enters the City of Leicester at the B5380 junction. There is a busy roundabout with the A563 Leicester outer ring-road. Braunstone Park and the Braunstone
Leisure Centre is passed on the right. It crosses a railway and passes Western Park. Entering the city centre, it becomes King Richard's Road then Saint Augustine Road and crosses the River Soar
and the Grand Union Canal
.
and meets the B6146 St Barnabas Road to the south, then passes over the former Leicester Belgrave Road
to Peterborough North
section of the Great Northern Railway
which follows the road as far as Houghton on the Hill
. At the A6030
crossroads, it becomes part of the Leicester outer ring road in North Evington. At Humberstone, beyond the A563 (outer ring road) and Goodwood Road (projected extension of the outer ring road) crossroads, the road meets the B667 Spencefield Lane to the south, for Evington
. Between the Downing Drive junction and Thurnby Hill it enters Leicestershire and the district of Harborough
. At Thurnby
it meets Station Road to the north, for Scraptoft
. Leaving Bushby
it climbs Winkadale Hill into the countryside.
The road travels through Houghton on the Hill
, with crossroads for Leicester Airport
(to the south) and Old Ingarsby
(to the north) next to the Rose and Crown and JET
Houghton Garage, and heads down Palace Hill with a right turn for Gaulby
, a left turn for Tilton on the Hill, then crosses the River Sence
. The two-mile £2.5 million three-lane Billesdon
Bypass opened in October 1986, passing north of the village, with staggered crossroads. It meets the B6047 north-south Market Harborough
to Melton Mowbray
road (for Tilton on the Hill
) at staggered crossroads at the highest point of the A47, at around 670 feet. It passes through Skeffington
with a right turn for Rolleston
then heads through Tugby, which is traversed by the Midshires Way
and National Cycle Route 63. It winds its way towards the one-kilometre £1.2 million East Norton
Bypass, which opened in December 1990, passing south of the village, with a left turn for Loddington
and right turn for Hallaton
. Leaving the village, after rejoining the former route, it passes the former railway station
. It heads down a hill as three lanes and crosses the Eye Brook
and from here the next ten miles are in Rutland
, and three lanes become two.
There is a left turn for Belton-in-Rutland
and a right turn for Allexton
(in Leicestershire) where the road is crossed by the Leicestershire Round and Macmillan Way
. The two-mile £1.9 million Wardley
Hill Improvement opened in October 1987, and there is a right turn (only) for Wardley, where the road is crossed by the Rutland Round. The road improvement took a less-crooked route closer to the village, with a less steep incline avoiding the top of Wardley Hill. The one-and-a-half-mile £1.4 million Uppingham
Bypass opened in June 1982, taking a shorter route north of the town, which is the home of Uppingham School
. It meets the A6003 (for Oakham
) at a roundabout, and meets the former Glaston Road route and crossroads for Bisbrooke
, to the south. It passes through Glaston
, with crossroads for Wing
(to the north) and Seaton
(to the south) near the Old Pheasant. It passes over the tunnel of the Oakham to Kettering Line
. Entering Morcott
it passes a Travelodge
and Little Chef
on the left, and there is a left turn for Morcott, where the road is crossed by the Rutland Round. It meets the A6121
(for Stamford
) and B672 (for Caldecott
) where it crosses a tunnel of a former railway. At a right turn for Barrowden
there is a windmill, and the road is again crossed by the Rutland Round. There is a crossroads for South Luffenham
and Barrowden
.
From Shire Oaks (Coppice Leys) through Tixover, the road has been straightened, and to the right is the Welland Valley (Rutland - Northamptonshire boundary). At Tixover there is a crossroads, where the Rutland Round follows the road to the east. The road crosses the River Welland
, where the Jurassic Way
crosses the road. The Duddington
Bypass, where the road enters Northamptonshire
and the district of East Northamptonshire
, opened in 1975. This section has a busy roundabout where it meets the south-west/north-east corridor A43
. On the northern edge of Collyweston Great Wood, it meets Kingscliffe Road for Collyweston
, at the west gate of RAF Wittering
. It follows the perimeter fence of the airfield to Collyweston Cross Roads (now no longer crossroads due to the airfield), where there is a right turn for Kings Cliffe
. The woodland here is the northern edge of the historic Rockingham Forest
. The road towards Wittering Lodge has been straightened, and crosses the City of Peterborough boundary (former Northamptonshire, then Cambridgeshire
). At Toll Bar Cottage, there is a right turn for Wittering
, opposite Bedford Purlieus National Nature Reserve. The road meets the A1.
. It is crossed by the Roman road
Ermine Street
. The dual-carriageway £9 million Ailsworth
-Castor Bypass opened in September 1991. Around Peterborough, the Peterborough Longthorpe Grade separated junction
(GSJ) opened in December 1987 where it meets the A1260. There is a GSJ for Bretton and a Sainsbury's, and it passes the Edith Cavell Hospital
. The £1.2 million Peterborough Westwood
GSJ opened in January 1987 near Ravensthorpe
. This section of road is called the Soke Parkway (named after the Soke of Peterborough
). When this was first built, in the mid-1970s, the A47 followed what is now the A15 Paston Parkway.
It crosses the East Coast Main Line
and meets the A15 at New England
near to a Morrisons
(former Safeway
), and Boulevard and Brotherhood retail parks at Walton
to the north and New England
to the south. There is another GSJ near Paston
to the north and it meets the other strand of the A15 at a GSJ near Gunthorpe
. It meets the southern terminus of the new A16 alignment before meeting the A1139 at a roundabout and crossing the Car Dyke
. The 3 miles (4.8 km) £7.2 million Eye
Bypass opened as Eye Road in October 1991, diverting traffic from the Paston Parkway, and partly built on the former Peterborough to Wisbech railway
. There is a local access roundabout at Eye Green
near the Esso
Eye Green Service Station, a Travelodge
and the Peterborough Eye Little Chef
on the right, where it becomes Thorney Road, The Causeway. The landscape becomes very flat known as The Fens
. A 3 miles (4.8 km) dual-carriageway bypass of Thorney
opened on 14 December 2005. The road meets the B1040 and B1167 at roundabouts. Near Thorney Toll
, the road enters Cambridgeshire
and the district of Fenland
near the New Toll Service Station. The straight road finishes at Guyhirn, meeting the B1187 and crossing and following the River Nene
and the Nene Way. The 1/2 mi £3.7 million Guyhirn
Diversion opened in October 1990. The road heads north-east, following the east bank of the River Nene. The 5 miles (8 km) £6 million Wisbech
/West Walton Bypass opened in autumn 1984. The former route leaves as the B198 at a roundabout. It meets a level crossing
, and it enters Norfolk
and the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk
just before a roundabout with the A1101 for Elm
and Emneth
at the Elme Hall Hotel. It passes the Total
Wisbech Services and the Wisbech Little Chef
then meets the old route (B198) at a roundabout and becomes the 6 miles (9.7 km) £23 million dual-carriageway Walpole Highway
/Tilney High End Bypass which opened in summer 1996. There is an exit for Walpole Highway, and another for Terrington St John
. It passes near Tilney High End. Near Tilney All Saints
, it meets the old route at a roundabout, becoming the single carriageway Main Road, then Pullover Road. It meets the end of the A17 at a large roundabout and the West Lynn
Little Chef.
and Fen Rivers Way
, near to some sugar beet
factories on a very busy concrete dual-carriageway built in 1975. It meets the A148 at a GSJ. The A10 and the A149
have their terminus here, at the Hardwick Flyover (opened on 30 October 2003) near the large Hardwick Industrial Estate (home of Campbell's Soup) and a Ramada Hotel. It becomes Constitution Hill, passing North Runcton
then Middleton
, where it passes the Crown and St Mary's church as Lynn Road. Next is East Winch
, where it passes All Saints's church, then West Bilney where it passes St Cecilia's church. The former Kings Lynn-Swaffham railway crossed at this point. There is a right-turn for Pentney
and it meets the B1153 for East Walton
. The half-mile £2.8 million Narborough
Bypass, opened in November 1992, where the road crosses the River Nar
and enters the district of Breckland
. There is a straight section to where it meets the A1122 (for RAF Marham
) at a roundabout at the start of the five-mile £5 million part-dual-carriageway Swaffham
Bypass, which opened in June 1981. There is an exit for Swaffham, and a GSJ with the A1065
(for Fakenham
). It passes some wind turbines and there is a roundabout where it joins the former route just before it is crossed by the Peddars Way
. There is a left turn for Sporle and it passes Necton
then heads north-west through Little Fransham, passing the Canary and Linnet, with a left turn for Crane's Corner. The seven-mile £5 milliom part-dual-carriageway East Dereham Bypass opened in spring 1978, which was built on part of the disused railway line, crosses over a level crossing on the Mid-Norfolk Railway
. It passes near Wendling
and St Peter and St Paul church then meets the B1146 (for Dereham) and A1075 (for Shipdham) near a Tesco
supermarket and B1135. The B1147 leaves for Swanton Morley
. The three-mile £9 million East Dereham-North Tuddenham Improvement opened in August 1992, which passes North Tuddenham
. It bypasses Hockering
. It enters the district of Broadland
at the start of the bypass of Honingham
, where it crosses the River Tud
. Just before the roundabout at Easton
, it enters the district of South Norfolk
. The dual-carriageway £62 million Norwich Bypass opened in September 1992. At the Longwater Intersection, the A1074 follows the former route through Norwich near the Longwater Retail Park and Sainsbury's. Near Bawburgh
, it crosses the River Yare
. There is a GSJ with the B1108, for Little Melton
and Colney
. At Cringleford
, it meets the A11 at the Thickthorn Interchange and Total
Thickthorn Services with the Norwich Little Chef
and crosses the Breckland Line
. Near Keswick Hall, it meets the A140
at a GSJ near a Tesco, then crosses the Great Eastern Main Line
. It is crossed by Boudica's Way, then meets the A146
at a GSJ. It crosses the River Yare again at the Postwick Viaduct and enters the district of Broadland. It crosses the Wherry Line
and meets the A1042 at a GSJ. The section from the end of this bypass to Blofield
, the one-mile £1.2 million Postwick
-Blofield Dualling, was opened in November 1987. There is a left turn to Great Plumstead. The one-mile £4 million dual-carriageway Blofield Bypass opened in February 1983, which starts at a roundabout for Brundall
near the Total
Broadlands Services and the Broadlands Little Chef
. It becomes single carriageway and passes North Burlingham near the staggered White House crossroads with the B1140. The three-mile £7.1 million dual-carriageway Acle
Bypass opened in March 1989, which ends at a roundabout with the A1048 near a Travelodge
and the Acle Little Chef
, becoming the single carriageway New Road. From Acle, the road enters the infamous Acle Straight which is nearly seven miles of dead straight and near level single carriageway all the way to Great Yarmouth, with just one curve at Road House Diner. The road is notorious for congestion, especially during the holiday season, and also for the number of accidents, which due to the drainage ditches on either side of the road are often fatal, and demands for dualling have been heard for many years, although there are no current plans to go ahead with this. It enters the district of Great Yarmouth
, then passes close to Breydon Water
. The northern section of the two-mile £19 million Great Yarmouth
Western Bypass (A12) opened in March 1986, and the southern section opened in May 1985.
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 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...
originally linking 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...
to Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114.
Route
From west to east, the road starts in BirminghamBirmingham
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...
heading for Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
(most of which is the B4114) before passing Hinckley
Hinckley
Hinckley is a town in southwest Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 43,246 . It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council...
, Earl Shilton
Earl Shilton
Earl Shilton is a small town in Leicestershire, England, some from Hinckley and about 10 miles from Leicester, with a population of around 9,000 .-History:...
and going through 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...
where it is subsumed into an inner ring-road. From there it passes through Uppingham
Uppingham
Disambiguation: "Uppingham" is the colloquial name for Uppingham SchoolUppingham is a market town in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, located on the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, about 6 miles south of the county town, Oakham.- History :A little over a mile to the...
before entering Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
. Here it forms Soke Parkway, part of Peterborough's Parkway road system. It passes through the city as a grade-separated dual carriageway, in contrast to the single carriageway route from Leicester. After Peterborough the road heads to Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
and on into King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
. It then continues east passing Swaffham
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...
and Dereham
Dereham
Dereham, also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, some 15 miles west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles east of King's Lynn. The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of...
and bypassing Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
to the south on the southern by-pass (the A47 previously formed the outer ring road). It then passes Blofield
Blofield
Blofield is the village and civil parish in the Broadland district of Norfolk, England. The parish includes Blofield and the hamlets of Blofield Heath and Blofield Corner and, according to the 2001 census, had a population of 3,221. It is on the A47, five miles east of Norwich and west of Great...
and Acle
Acle
Acle is a small market town on the River Bure on The Norfolk Broads in Norfolk, located halfway between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It has the only bridge across the River Bure between Wroxham and Great Yarmouth. There is a high school Acle is a small market town on the River Bure on The Norfolk...
before reaching its final destination at Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
.
History
The second change also dates from 1935. The A47 originally ran via Downham Market, not King's Lynn. In 1935 , it was rerouted via King's Lynn, replacing part of the A141 (Wisbech to King's Lynn) and part of the A17 (King's Lynn to Swaffham). The old route via Downham Market was renumbered as the A1122 (Outwell to Swaffham) and part of the A1101 (Wisbech to Outwell).
The third change took place some time before 1932. The original route of the A47 between Guyhirn and Wisbech was via Wisbech St Mary, with the direct route being part of the A141. This is because there was no road bridge over the River Nene at Guyhirn, and hence no junction between the A47 and the A141. Some time between 1923 and 1932 a bridge was built, and the A47 and the A141 swapped routes between Guyhirn and Wisbech.
Major improvements were made from the late 1970s until early in the 1990s. The 7 mile (11.3 km) £5 million part-dual-carriageway East Dereham Bypass built on part of the disused railway line was opened in spring 1978 followed by a five mile (8 km) part-dual-carriageway Swaffham Bypass, costing £5 million which was opened in June 1981. Bypasses for Uppingham (£1.4 million) and Blofield (£4 million) were opened in 1982 and 1983 respectively. The southern section of the Great Yarmouth Western Bypass was opened in May 1985 and the northern section in March 1986 at a cost of £19 million followed by improvements to the one mile (1.6 km) Postwick-Blofield section (£1.2 million) which was opened in November 1987. In 1989 Acle Bypass was completed as a cost of £7.1 million and the £1.2 million East Norton Bypass was opened in December 1990. The three mile (4.8 km) £9 million East Dereham-North Tuddenham Improvement opened in August 1992 and the £62 million Norwich southern Bypass in September 1992.
Escalating road protests
Road protest (UK)
Road protest in the United Kingdom usually occurs as a reaction to a stated intention by the empowered authorities to build a new road, or to modify an existing road. Protests may also be made by those wishing to see new roads built or improvements made to existing roads. Motivations for protests...
starting with Twyford Down
Twyford Down
Twyford Down is a small area of ancient chalk downland lying directly to the southeast of Winchester, Hampshire, England. The down's summit, known as Deacon Hill, is towards the north-eastern edge of the area which is renowned for its dramatic rolling scenery, ecologically rich grassland and as a...
in 1992 and culminating with the Newbury bypass
Newbury bypass
The Newbury bypass, officially known as The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road , is a stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England...
in 1996 (at which over 1,000 people were arrested) led to over 300 road schemes being cancelled in November 1995 and to the cancellation of further schemes including the Thorney bypass by the new Labour government in 1997.
In 2002 the government announced a new road building programme which included the three mile (4.8 km) dual-carriageway Thorney bypass which opened on 14 December 2005.
A47 Acle Straight
A study on the A47 which concluded in 2001 looked at improving the section of the A47 between AcleAcle
Acle is a small market town on the River Bure on The Norfolk Broads in Norfolk, located halfway between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It has the only bridge across the River Bure between Wroxham and Great Yarmouth. There is a high school Acle is a small market town on the River Bure on The Norfolk...
and Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
known as the Acle Straight. The improvement of the Acle Straight has become a point of contention between interested parties due to its passage through the Norfolk Broads
The Broads
The Broads are a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Broads, and some surrounding land were constituted as a special area with a level of protection similar to a UK National Park by The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act of 1988...
, an area of important ecological and conservation significance that limits development. The study which recommended widening rather than dualling of the Acle Straight was opposed by the Broadland District Council
Broadland
Broadland is a local government district in Norfolk, England, named after the Norfolk Broads. Its council is based in Thorpe St Andrew, which is a suburb of the City of Norwich.-History:The district was formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of St...
, Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Great Yarmouth (borough)
The Borough of Great Yarmouth is a local government district with borough status in Norfolk, England. It is named after its main town, Great Yarmouth.-History:...
, Norfolk Police Authority
Norfolk Constabulary
Norfolk Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for the county of Norfolk in England. As of March 2009 the force had a strength of 1,668 police officers, 243 Special Constables, 277 PCSOs and just over 1,300 police staff.-History:...
and the majority of local respondents who believed that dualling of the road is necessary to improve road safety, decrease journey time and support the economic development of Great Yarmouth. Dualling was however strongly opposed by the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
, the Council for National Parks (CNP)
Council for National Parks
The Campaign for National Parks - formerly the Council for National Parks - is a UK registered charity promoting the National Parks of England and Wales....
and the Broads Authority
Broads Authority
The Broads Authority is the agency which has statutory responsibility for the Broads in England. Originally, the Nature Conservancy Council , pressed for a special authority to manage the Broads which had been neglected for a long time. In 1978, the forerunner to the present-day Broads Authority...
due to its impact on biodiversity and internationally important wildlife sites. These parties did cautiously support further investigation into the option for widening following further investigation of its environmental impact.
Acle Straight safety improvement scheme
In 2006 a program of safety improvement for the Acle Straight were announced. This would include road resurfacing, better road markings, improved visibility and the installation of safety cameras at an estimated total cost of £1.6 million. The result would then be monitored whilst long term improvements, such as widening, are considered. In October 2009 after it was announced that a £40,000 feasibility study, to see whether roadside ditches along the nine-mile stretch could be moved further back without disturbing delicate marshland habitat had been delayed until autumn 2010 at the earliest.Norwich Northern Distributor Road
A controversial £117 million road scheme to the north of NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
linking the A1067 road
A1067 road
The A1067 is an English A road entirely in the county of Norfolk. It runs from Fakenham Northern By-Pass to Norwich inner ring road .-A47 to A1067 Link Road:...
and Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs....
to the A47. It is a priority scheme for Norfolk County Council and also for the East of England Regional Assembly
East of England Regional Assembly
The East of England Regional Assembly was the regional assembly for the East of England region of the United Kingdom. It was based at Flempton, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. The assembly was created as a voluntary regional chamber in 1998 by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. The first...
but it is also attracting strong opposition both locally and from environmental groups.
A47 to A1067 Link Road
Norfolk County Council are developing a proposal for a link road between the A47 and A1067A1067 road
The A1067 is an English A road entirely in the county of Norfolk. It runs from Fakenham Northern By-Pass to Norwich inner ring road .-A47 to A1067 Link Road:...
in the area between Hockering
Hockering
Hockering is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 628. By 2007 the district estimated that this had risen to 665.-Geography:...
and Lenwade
Lenwade
Lenwade is a hamlet in the civil parish of Great Witchingham, Norfolk. Located in the Wensum Valley and adjacent to the A1067 road and being south-east of Fakenham and some north-west of Norwich.- Etymology:...
. Five different route options have been proposed which range from 1.5 km to 3.4 km of new road construction and an estimated construction cost of between £5.8 million - £9.1 million. Public consultation on the proposal was held between July and September 2007 with the most support given to Option 1 with positive responses from residents, businesses and Parish and District Councils. Although costing more than £5 million the scheme does not meet any of the targets of the Local Transport Plan
Local Transport Plan
Local transport plans, divided into full local transport plans and local implementation plans for transport are an important part of transport planning in England...
and so does not qualify for regional funding. Funding for the scheme must therefore be found by the County Council.
As of July 2009, no further progress on the proposal has been announced.
Birmingham to Nuneaton
Starting from the junction with the A441 (James Watt) near Aston UniversityAston University
Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
as the dual-carriageway Jennens Road, it meets the A4540
A4540 road
The A4540 is a Ring Road in Birmingham, England, also known as the Middle Ring Road, or the Middleway. There are proposals to make it a red route. It runs around the centre of the city at a distance of approximately . Birmingham City Centre is the area within this ring road. The ring road was...
Middleway (middle ring road) one mile from the centre of Birmingham becoming Nechells
Nechells
Nechells is an area in inner-city Birmingham, England, with a population of 27,969 . It is also a ward within the formal district of Ladywood. Nechells local government ward includes areas, for example parts of Birmingham city centre, which are not part of the historic district of Nechells as such...
Parkway. It leads in a north-easterly direction meeting the B4132 at a roundabout becoming Saltley Road, is crossed by the Chase Line
Chase Line
The Chase Line is the railway line from Birmingham New Street to Walsall and Rugeley.-Overview:The line from Birmingham to Walsall has two alternative routes, both of which are electrified at 25 kV AC overhead...
and meets the B4114 at a roundabout. A new section of road begins as the Heartlands Parkway, following the Cross Country Route and River Rea
River Rea
The River Rea is a small river which passes through Birmingham, England. The name of the river derives from a root found in many Indo-European languages and means "to run" or "to flow". It frequently bursts its banks after heavy rain....
. It meets a roundabout and there is a roundabout with the B4137 at Nechells (for Star City
Star City, Birmingham
Star City is a family leisure and entertainment complex in Birmingham, England. It is located in the north east of the city very close to Junction 6 of the M6 motorway , and Aston Train Station.- Development :...
). It runs more or less parallel to the M6
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
for about three miles, crossing the railway at the Washwood Heath Viaduct. It meets the A4040
A4040 road
The A4040 is the Outer Ring Road in Birmingham, England. It is the route followed by the Birmingham Outer Circle bus route. It was formed mainly of redesignated old roads, unlike Birmingham's inner and middle ring road , which were mostly purpose built.Places along the route include:* Perry Barr*...
at a large roundabout which passes under the M6. It meets two roundabouts close to Fort Dunlop
Fort Dunlop
Fort Dunlop , is the common name of the original tyre factory and main office of Dunlop Rubber in the Erdington district of Birmingham, England. It was established in 1917, and by 1954 the entire factory area employed 10,000 workers...
and terminates at a roundabout ("Spitfire Island", hosting the "Sentinel" monument) with the A452
A452 road
The A452 is a road in England, which runs from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire to Brownhills in Staffordshire. It is the major link to the M6 motorway for both Leamington and Warwick in addition to serving as Leamington's link to the M40 motorway and to Coventry....
, halfway between the M6 Junction 5 and A38 Tyburn Island.
The route leading to Nuneaton was known as the A47 until 1986, when it was renumbered following the completion of the M42. http://www.cbrd.co.uk/indepth/roadnumbers/oddities.shtml
Nuneaton to Leicester
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...
, near the railway station
Nuneaton railway station
Nuneaton railway station serves the large town of Nuneaton in Warwickshire, England. The station is managed by London Midland.It is situated at the point where the Birmingham - Leicester route crosses the Trent Valley Line section of the West Coast Main Line north of London Euston, with a branch...
. Leaving Nuneaton, it passes North Warwickshire and Hinckley College
North Warwickshire and Hinckley College
North Warwickshire and Hinckley College is a Further Education College with campuses in Leicestershire, Nuneaton & Bedworth and North Warwickshire...
on the left, it meets the A4254 at a roundabout and the A5 Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
near the Longshoot Hotel. It follows the A5 for a half-mile entering Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and the district of Hinckley and Bosworth
Hinckley and Bosworth
Hinckley and Bosworth is a local government district with borough status in south-western Leicestershire, England, administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Its only towns are Hinckley, Earl Shilton and Market Bosworth...
, then leaves at a roundabout to bypass Hinckley to the north as Dodwells Road then Normandy Way (the working title of which was the Northern Perimeter Road), completed in the summer of 1994. The former route continues as the B4666. This section passes through a large industrial estate and close to a Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, crossing the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal
Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal
The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal is a long canal in England which connected the mining district around Moira, just outside the town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, with the Coventry Canal at Bedworth in Warwickshire. It was opened in 1804, and a number of tramways were constructed at its northern end, to service...
. It meets a roundabout near the Triumph
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd is the largest surviving British motorcycle manufacturer, which was established in 1984 by John Bloor after the original manufacturer Triumph Engineering went into receivership...
motorbike factory. It meets the A447 and B4667 at crossroads, then meets the B4668 former route at a roundabout, becoming Leicester Road then Carrs Hill. This section to Leicester runs parallel with the M69
M69 motorway
The M69 is a lightly used dual three lane dual carriageway motorway in Leicestershire and Warwickshire, England connecting Leicester and Coventry. It opened in 1977.-History:...
. It passes close to Barwell
Barwell
Barwell is a civil parish and large village in Leicestershire, England, with a population of around 8,750 people. The name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that used to drink from the well near a brook in Barwell. It was originally known as Borewell,...
, then enters Earl Shilton
Earl Shilton
Earl Shilton is a small town in Leicestershire, England, some from Hinckley and about 10 miles from Leicester, with a population of around 9,000 .-History:...
as Hinckley Road, passing the Heathfield High School, meeting the B581 near the Lord Nelson.
The road forms the boundary between the Hinckley and Bosworth district and Blaby
Blaby (district)
Blaby is a local government district in Leicestershire, England.The district is named after the village of Blaby. It covers the civil parish of Blaby and 23 others. Among these are Cosby, Countesthorpe, Enderby, Huncote, Narborough , Sapcote, Stoney Stanton, and Wigston Parva...
district as Hinckley Road at Long Spinneys, where the road has cycle lanes
Segregated cycle facilities
Segregated cycle facilities are marked lanes, tracks, shoulders and paths designated for use by cyclists from which motorised traffic is generally excluded...
on either side. The Earl Shilton bypass is being built and joins the road here. At a right turn for Thurlaston
Thurlaston, Leicestershire
Thurlaston is a village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It is in the Blaby local government district. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 745.-External links:* on Blaby District Council website...
, the road enters the district of Blaby, and there is a left turn for Desford
Desford
Desford is a village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district, west of the centre of Leicester. The parish includes the hamlets of Botcheston and Newtown Unthank and a scattered settlement at Lindridge.-Manors:...
and the large Caterpillar factory. It passes through Leicester Forest West
Leicester Forest West
Leicester Forest West is a hamlet and civil parish in the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England. It has a population of about 30, making it much smaller than its neighbour, Leicester Forest East. The village takes its name from the ancient Leicester Forest....
and the Bulls Head on the right and near to the B582 crossroads, there is the BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
Desford garage. It climbs up a hill and enters Leicester Forest East
Leicester Forest East
Leicester Forest East or LFE is a settlement in Leicestershire, England, west of Leicester, straddling the M1 motorway. It is part of the Blaby district.LFE is a popular location among commuters and young families...
, crossing the M1
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...
near the service station. It passes the Red Cow Hotel on the left and enters the City of Leicester at the B5380 junction. There is a busy roundabout with the A563 Leicester outer ring-road. Braunstone Park and the Braunstone
Braunstone Town
Braunstone is a civil parish and is the largest parish within the district of Blaby in Leicestershire, England, now known as the Town of Braunstone or more commonly, Braunstone Town. At 2007 the population is around 15,000. There are around 7,500 households including Thorpe Astley.Braunstone is...
Leisure Centre is passed on the right. It crosses a railway and passes Western Park. Entering the city centre, it becomes King Richard's Road then Saint Augustine Road and crosses the River Soar
River Soar
The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...
and the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
.
Leicester to A1
Leaving Leicester, it becomes Humberstone Road, then Uppingham Road. It passes under the Midland Main LineMidland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
and meets the B6146 St Barnabas Road to the south, then passes over the former Leicester Belgrave Road
Leicester Belgrave Road railway station
-Overview:Leicester Belgrave Road was the Great Northern Railway terminus in Leicester, England. It was the terminus of the GNR's branch line from the Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway at Marefield Junction. It opened on 2 October 1882...
to Peterborough North
Peterborough railway station
Peterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England. It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line...
section of the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
which follows the road as far as Houghton on the Hill
Houghton on the Hill
Houghton on the Hill is a village lying six miles to the east of Leicester in the East Midlands in England.An entry for Houghton on the Hill is recorded in the Domesday Book....
. At the A6030
A6030 road
The A6030 is a small ring-road entirely within the built-up central area of Leicester, from the A563 at its roundabout with the A6 near Belgrave, south-east over the A607 to cross the A47 at Northfields, turning south past Leicester General Hospital and the Leicestershire Golf Club to meet the A6...
crossroads, it becomes part of the Leicester outer ring road in North Evington. At Humberstone, beyond the A563 (outer ring road) and Goodwood Road (projected extension of the outer ring road) crossroads, the road meets the B667 Spencefield Lane to the south, for Evington
Evington
Evington is an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England. It used to be a small village centred around Main Street and the Anglican church of St Denys but was close enough to Leicester to become one of the outer suburbs in the 1930s...
. Between the Downing Drive junction and Thurnby Hill it enters Leicestershire and the district of Harborough
Harborough
Harborough is a local government district of Leicestershire, England, named after its main town, Market Harborough. Covering , the District is by far the largest of the eight district authorities in Leicestershire and covers almost a quarter of the County....
. At Thurnby
Thurnby
Thurnby is a village just east of Leicester's city boundaries, in the Harborough district.Thurnby village proper is set to the south of the A47, just after it leaves the city. A sister village, Bushby lies just to the East and merges into it such that the two have made one civil parish, Thurnby...
it meets Station Road to the north, for Scraptoft
Scraptoft
Scraptoft is a village in Leicestershire, England that is effectively a suburb of Leicester. It has a population of about 1,500. It lies north of the A47 road east of Leicester, and runs directly into the built up area of Thurnby and Bushby to the south...
. Leaving Bushby
Bushby
Bushby is a village in Leicestershire, England....
it climbs Winkadale Hill into the countryside.
The road travels through Houghton on the Hill
Houghton on the Hill
Houghton on the Hill is a village lying six miles to the east of Leicester in the East Midlands in England.An entry for Houghton on the Hill is recorded in the Domesday Book....
, with crossroads for Leicester Airport
Leicester Airport
Leicester Airport is a small aerodrome in Stoughton, Leicestershire, east southeast of Leicester. It was previously known as Stoughton Aerodrome...
(to the south) and Old Ingarsby
Ingarsby
Ingarsby is one of the best preserved deserted medieval villages in England. It is situated about six miles to the East of Leicester, and a little to the North of Houghton on the Hill...
(to the north) next to the Rose and Crown and JET
Jet (brand)
Jet is the filling station brand of ConocoPhillips, used in Europe.Jet filling stations are located in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Thailand and the United Kingdom....
Houghton Garage, and heads down Palace Hill with a right turn for Gaulby
Gaulby
Gaulby is a village in East Leicestershire, England, 7 miles east of the city of Leicester. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 131....
, a left turn for Tilton on the Hill, then crosses the River Sence
River Sence
The River Sence is a river in Leicestershire, England. The tributaries of the Sence including the Saint and Tweed fan out over much of western Leicestershire from Charnwood Forest and Coalville in the north-east to Hinckley and almost to Watling Street in the south and south-west...
. The two-mile £2.5 million three-lane Billesdon
Billesdon
Billesdon is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, with a population of 745 according to the 2001 census. It is just off the A47, nine miles east of Leicester. The Billesdon bypass opened in October 1986...
Bypass opened in October 1986, passing north of the village, with staggered crossroads. It meets the B6047 north-south Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
to Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
road (for Tilton on the Hill
Tilton on the Hill
Tilton on the Hill is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire. It lies 2 miles north of the A47, on the B6047 to Melton Mowbray. Halstead civil parish was merged with Tilton in 1935, while the deserted medieval village of Whatborough was merged in 1994...
) at staggered crossroads at the highest point of the A47, at around 670 feet. It passes through Skeffington
Skeffington
Skeffington is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated east of Leicester on the A47 Leicester to Uppingham road, between the parishes of Billesdon and Tugby and Keythorpe....
with a right turn for Rolleston
Rolleston, Leicestershire
Rolleston is a parish and estate village near Billesdon in Leicestershire, England, and part of Harborough District.-External links:****...
then heads through Tugby, which is traversed by the Midshires Way
Midshires Way
The Midshires Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway that runs for through Middle England from Bledlow in Buckinghamshire to Stockport, Greater Manchester....
and National Cycle Route 63. It winds its way towards the one-kilometre £1.2 million East Norton
East Norton
East Norton is a small village and parish located in the east of Leicestershire, adjoining the A47 Leicester to Uppingham road. According to the 2001 Census, it had a population of 94 in 37 households. East Norton is situated in the Tilton Ward in the Rural East area of the Harborough District ,...
Bypass, which opened in December 1990, passing south of the village, with a left turn for Loddington
Loddington
Loddington is a small village and civil parish north of Market Harborough and east of Leicester in the county of Leicestershire. It has a population of 77....
and right turn for Hallaton
Hallaton
Hallaton is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 523....
. Leaving the village, after rejoining the former route, it passes the former railway station
East Norton railway station
East Norton railway station was a railway station serving the village of East Norton, Leicestershire. The station was half a mile east of the village on the north side of the Uppingham to Leicester road, now the A47. on the Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway. It opened in...
. It heads down a hill as three lanes and crosses the Eye Brook
Eye Brook
The Eye Brook is a river in the East Midlands of England, a tributary of the River Welland. It is around long.Rising near Tilton on the Hill or Skeffington in Leicestershire, it flows east. Near where it crosses the A47, it starts to form the county boundary between Leicestershire and Rutland, and...
and from here the next ten miles are in Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, and three lanes become two.
There is a left turn for Belton-in-Rutland
Belton-in-Rutland
Belton-in-Rutland is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located about six miles south-west of Oakham and about four miles west of Uppingham and overlooks the A47....
and a right turn for Allexton
Allexton
Allexton is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 58. In the 2011 Census the population is likely to be higher as five new houses have been built....
(in Leicestershire) where the road is crossed by the Leicestershire Round and Macmillan Way
Macmillan Way
The Macmillan Way is a long-distance footpath in England that links Boston, Lincolnshire to Abbotsbury in Dorset. The route's distance is . It is promoted to raise money for the charity Macmillan Cancer Relief....
. The two-mile £1.9 million Wardley
Wardley, Rutland
Wardley is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located about two miles west of Uppingham, close to the A47. The two-mile £1.9 million Wardley Hill Improvement opened in October 1987 when the road through the village became a dead end...
Hill Improvement opened in October 1987, and there is a right turn (only) for Wardley, where the road is crossed by the Rutland Round. The road improvement took a less-crooked route closer to the village, with a less steep incline avoiding the top of Wardley Hill. The one-and-a-half-mile £1.4 million Uppingham
Uppingham
Disambiguation: "Uppingham" is the colloquial name for Uppingham SchoolUppingham is a market town in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, located on the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, about 6 miles south of the county town, Oakham.- History :A little over a mile to the...
Bypass opened in June 1982, taking a shorter route north of the town, which is the home of Uppingham School
Uppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...
. It meets the A6003 (for Oakham
Oakham
-Oakham's horseshoes:Traditionally, members of royalty and peers of the realm who visited or passed through the town had to pay a forfeit in the form of a horseshoe...
) at a roundabout, and meets the former Glaston Road route and crossroads for Bisbrooke
Bisbrooke
Bisbrooke is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located about two miles east of Uppingham close to the A47. In 2001, it had a population of 219....
, to the south. It passes through Glaston
Glaston
Glaston is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.Glaston is about four miles south of Rutland Water and is on the A47 two miles east of Uppingham. There are approximately 80 houses in total with one public house 'The Old Pheasant' on Main Road , and a flooring...
, with crossroads for Wing
Wing, Rutland
Wing is a small village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.-Architecture:The 17th-century houses in Wing were built from stone quarried at nearby Barnack and Clipsham. Many are roofed with Collyweston stone slate....
(to the north) and Seaton
Seaton, Rutland
Seaton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.Nearby is the large Seaton Viaduct, on the Oakham to Kettering railway line. It is three quarters of a mile long and took four years to build. It has 82 arches which are up to high. The railway is now...
(to the south) near the Old Pheasant. It passes over the tunnel of the Oakham to Kettering Line
Oakham to Kettering Line
The Oakham to Kettering Railway Line is a railway line in the East Midlands of England. For many years it was used for mainly for freight traffic, and as an important diversionary route for passenger trains travelling the Midland Main Line as well as for the occasional excursion.Recently, however,...
. Entering Morcott
Morcott
Morcott is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located about seven miles south-east of Oakham on the A47 and A6121 roads.The village railway station on the branch line between Seaton and Luffenham closed in 1966...
it passes a Travelodge
Travelodge UK
Travelodge Hotels Limited is a private company operating in the hotels and hospitality industry throughout the United Kingdom. Branded simply as Travelodge or Travelodge UK, it is the second largest in the budget hotel sector and third biggest hotel chain in the UK by number of bedrooms...
and Little Chef
Little Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
on the left, and there is a left turn for Morcott, where the road is crossed by the Rutland Round. It meets the A6121
A6121 road
The A6121 is a short cross-country road in the counties of Lincolnshire and Rutland, England. It forms the principal route between Bourne and Stamford and the A1 in Lincolnshire, continuing on through Ketton in Rutland to its junction with the A47 at Morcott. Its south-western end is at and its...
(for Stamford
Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
) and B672 (for Caldecott
Caldecott, Rutland
Caldecott is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located about four miles south of Uppingham and is the most southerly village in Rutland....
) where it crosses a tunnel of a former railway. At a right turn for Barrowden
Barrowden
Barrowden is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is often considered to be one of the more picturesque villages in Rutland due to its beautiful setting amongst hills and rivers, and also because of the open village greens and the village...
there is a windmill, and the road is again crossed by the Rutland Round. There is a crossroads for South Luffenham
South Luffenham
South Luffenham is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.The village lies largely on the north side of the A6121 road from Uppingham to Stamford. It is divided into two by a small stream, the Foss, which is a tributary of the River Chater...
and Barrowden
Barrowden
Barrowden is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is often considered to be one of the more picturesque villages in Rutland due to its beautiful setting amongst hills and rivers, and also because of the open village greens and the village...
.
From Shire Oaks (Coppice Leys) through Tixover, the road has been straightened, and to the right is the Welland Valley (Rutland - Northamptonshire boundary). At Tixover there is a crossroads, where the Rutland Round follows the road to the east. The road crosses the River Welland
River Welland
The River Welland is a river in the east of England, some long. It rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market Harborough, Stamford and Spalding, to reach The Wash near Fosdyke. For much of its length it forms the county boundary between...
, where the Jurassic Way
Jurassic Way
The Jurassic Way is a designated and signed long-distance footpath that connects the Oxfordshire town of Banbury with the Lincolnshire town of Stamford in England...
crosses the road. The Duddington
Duddington
Duddington is a small picturesque village in Northamptonshire, England. It is by the junction of the A47 and A43 roads, and is southwest of the town of Stamford.The parishes of Duddington and Fineshade were amalgamated in 1988.-The Church:...
Bypass, where the road enters Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and the district of East Northamptonshire
East Northamptonshire
East Northamptonshire is a local government district in Northamptonshire, England. Its council is based in Thrapston and Rushden, which is the largest town in the area...
, opened in 1975. This section has a busy roundabout where it meets the south-west/north-east corridor A43
A43 road
The A43 is a primary route in the English Midlands, that runs from the M40 motorway near Ardley in Oxfordshire to Stamford in Lincolnshire. Through Northamptonshire it bypasses the towns of Northampton, Kettering and Corby which are the three principal destinations on the A43 route...
. On the northern edge of Collyweston Great Wood, it meets Kingscliffe Road for Collyweston
Collyweston
Collyweston is a village and civil parish about three miles south-west of Stamford on the road to Kettering.-Geography:The village is on the southern side of the Welland valley of Tixover. The River Welland, at the point nearby to the north-west, is the boundary between Rutland and...
, at the west gate of RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire is the nearest town, the runways of RAF Wittering cross the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire....
. It follows the perimeter fence of the airfield to Collyweston Cross Roads (now no longer crossroads due to the airfield), where there is a right turn for Kings Cliffe
Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire
Kings Cliffe is a village and civil parish in East Northamptonshire, England, between Corby and Peterborough.It once had its own railway station, which is now closed.-Population:...
. The woodland here is the northern edge of the historic Rockingham Forest
Rockingham Forest
Rockingham Forest is a former Mediæval royal hunting forest in the East Midlands region of England; most of which was in the county of Northamptonshire but also extended slightly into the neighbouring counties of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire .The forest originally stretched from Stamford down...
. The road towards Wittering Lodge has been straightened, and crosses the City of Peterborough boundary (former Northamptonshire, then Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
). At Toll Bar Cottage, there is a right turn for Wittering
Wittering, Cambridgeshire
Wittering is a village in the Soke of Peterborough, now in Cambridgeshire formerly in Northamptonshire, in the east of England. The neighbouring land is predominantly arable farming and Forestry Commission respectively...
, opposite Bedford Purlieus National Nature Reserve. The road meets the A1.
A1 - Kings Lynn
The road formerly went through Wansford, further to the south. The £250,000 dual-carriageway Wansford North Bypass opened in January 1965. There is a right-turn for SuttonSutton, Cambridgeshire
Sutton is a civil parish in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. For electoral purposes it forms part of Glinton and Wittering ward in North West Cambridgeshire constituency....
. It is crossed by the Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
. The dual-carriageway £9 million Ailsworth
Ailsworth
Ailsworth or Ailesworth is a village and civil parish in the City of Peterborough unitary authority, about west of the city centre. The parish is part of the former Soke of Peterborough, which was considered part of Northamptonshire but was more recently part of Cambridgeshire.The village's...
-Castor Bypass opened in September 1991. Around Peterborough, the Peterborough Longthorpe Grade separated junction
Grade separation
Grade separation is the method of aligning a junction of two or more transport axes at different heights so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other transit routes when they cross each other. The composition of such transport axes does not have to be uniform; it can consist of a...
(GSJ) opened in December 1987 where it meets the A1260. There is a GSJ for Bretton and a Sainsbury's, and it passes the Edith Cavell Hospital
Edith Cavell Hospital
The Edith Cavell Hospital in the United Kingdom, opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second on 20 May 1988, was situated on a green field site at Westwood in the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire...
. The £1.2 million Peterborough Westwood
Westwood, Peterborough
Westwood is residential area of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. For electoral purposes it forms part of Ravensthorpe ward. Manufacturers of industrial machinery, Baker Perkins, relocated here from London in 1903...
GSJ opened in January 1987 near Ravensthorpe
Ravensthorpe, Peterborough
Ravensthorpe is a residential area and electoral ward of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom.Ravensthorpe County Primary School is located in the area; secondary pupils attend nearby Jack Hunt School in Netherton....
. This section of road is called the Soke Parkway (named after the Soke of Peterborough
Soke of Peterborough
The Soke of Peterborough is an historic area of England that is traditionally associated with the City and Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire...
). When this was first built, in the mid-1970s, the A47 followed what is now the A15 Paston Parkway.
It crosses the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
and meets the A15 at New England
New England, Peterborough
New England is residential area of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in England, For electoral purposes it forms part of Peterborough North ward. The area is bounded by Millfield to the south, Dogsthorpe to the east, by the A47 to the north and the A15 to the west...
near to a Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
(former Safeway
Safeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
), and Boulevard and Brotherhood retail parks at Walton
Walton, Peterborough
Walton is a residential area and electoral ward of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. Manufacturers of industrial machinery, Peter Brotherhood Limited, relocated here from London in 1906....
to the north and New England
New England, Peterborough
New England is residential area of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in England, For electoral purposes it forms part of Peterborough North ward. The area is bounded by Millfield to the south, Dogsthorpe to the east, by the A47 to the north and the A15 to the west...
to the south. There is another GSJ near Paston
Paston, Peterborough
Paston is a residential area and electoral ward of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. The area was mainly built and developed in the 1970s and 1980s...
to the north and it meets the other strand of the A15 at a GSJ near Gunthorpe
Gunthorpe, Peterborough
Gunthorpe is a residential area of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. For electoral purposes it forms part of Paston and South Werrington wards...
. It meets the southern terminus of the new A16 alignment before meeting the A1139 at a roundabout and crossing the Car Dyke
Car Dyke
The Car Dyke was, and to large extent still is, an eighty-five mile long ditch which runs along the western edge of the Fens in eastern England. It is generally accepted as being of Roman age and, for many centuries, to have been taken as marking the western edge of the Fens...
. The 3 miles (4.8 km) £7.2 million Eye
Eye, Cambridgeshire
Eye is a village in the unitary authority area of Peterborough in England, south of Crowland and Eye Green. It was formerly in the Soke of Peterborough in Northamptonshire....
Bypass opened as Eye Road in October 1991, diverting traffic from the Paston Parkway, and partly built on the former Peterborough to Wisbech railway
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway in eastern England, affectionately known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere' to generations of passengers, enthusiasts, and other users.The main line ran from Peterborough to...
. There is a local access roundabout at Eye Green
Eye Green
Eye Green is a village in the unitary authority of Peterborough in England. It lies north of Eye and south of Crowland.Eye Green Nature Reserve abounds the A47 Trunk Road which separated Eye Green from its sister village of Eye....
near the Esso
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
Eye Green Service Station, a Travelodge
Travelodge UK
Travelodge Hotels Limited is a private company operating in the hotels and hospitality industry throughout the United Kingdom. Branded simply as Travelodge or Travelodge UK, it is the second largest in the budget hotel sector and third biggest hotel chain in the UK by number of bedrooms...
and the Peterborough Eye Little Chef
Little Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
on the right, where it becomes Thorney Road, The Causeway. The landscape becomes very flat known as The Fens
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
. A 3 miles (4.8 km) dual-carriageway bypass of Thorney
Thorney, Cambridgeshire
Thorney is a village about 8 miles east of Peterborough in the City of Peterborough unitary authority, England, on the A47. Historically it was part of the Isle of Ely, which was considered part of Cambridgeshire but was transferred into the former county of Huntingdon and Peterborough and...
opened on 14 December 2005. The road meets the B1040 and B1167 at roundabouts. Near Thorney Toll
Thorney Toll
Thorney Toll is a village in Cambridgeshire, England....
, the road enters Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
and the district of Fenland
Fenland
Fenland is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. Its council is based in March, and covers the neighbouring market towns of Chatteris, Whittlesey, and Wisbech, often called the "capital of the fens"...
near the New Toll Service Station. The straight road finishes at Guyhirn, meeting the B1187 and crossing and following the River Nene
River Nene
The River Nene is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in the county of Northamptonshire. The tidal river forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk for about . It is the tenth longest river in the United Kingdom, and is navigable for from Northampton to The...
and the Nene Way. The 1/2 mi £3.7 million Guyhirn
Guyhirn
Guyhirn is a small village near the town of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, England. The village sits on the northern bank of the River Nene.Guyhirn is found at a junction of two sizeable "A" roads, where the A141 leaves the A47.-Origin of the name:...
Diversion opened in October 1990. The road heads north-east, following the east bank of the River Nene. The 5 miles (8 km) £6 million Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
/West Walton Bypass opened in autumn 1984. The former route leaves as the B198 at a roundabout. It meets a level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
, and it enters Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk
King's Lynn and West Norfolk
King's Lynn and West Norfolk is a local government district and borough in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in the town of King's Lynn.-History:...
just before a roundabout with the A1101 for Elm
Elm, Cambridgeshire
Elm is a Fenland village in Cambridgeshire, England. The civic parish of Elm, had a resident population of 3,295, as recorded during the 2001 United Kingdom census. It is located alongside the county boundary with Norfolk,on the outskirts of the market town of Wisbech. The northern end of Elm,...
and Emneth
Emneth
Emneth is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is west of Norwich, south-west of King's Lynn and north of London. The nearest town is Wisbech which is north-north-west of the village. The Village lies to the south-west of the route of the A47 between...
at the Elme Hall Hotel. It passes the Total
Total S.A.
Total S.A. is a French multinational oil company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world.Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and...
Wisbech Services and the Wisbech Little Chef
Little Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
then meets the old route (B198) at a roundabout and becomes the 6 miles (9.7 km) £23 million dual-carriageway Walpole Highway
Walpole Highway
Walpole Highway is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 685 in 266 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of North Norfolk....
/Tilney High End Bypass which opened in summer 1996. There is an exit for Walpole Highway, and another for Terrington St John
Terrington St John
Terrington St John is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village lies to the south of the route of the A47 between Peterborough and Kings Lynn....
. It passes near Tilney High End. Near Tilney All Saints
Tilney All Saints
Tilney All Saints is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 563 in 230 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk....
, it meets the old route at a roundabout, becoming the single carriageway Main Road, then Pullover Road. It meets the end of the A17 at a large roundabout and the West Lynn
West Lynn, Norfolk
West Lynn is the part of the town of King's Lynn that is west of the River Great Ouse. It is linked to the main part of King's Lynn by a direct passenger ferry or by a circuitous 4 km road journey....
Little Chef.
Kings Lynn - Great Yarmouth
From Kings Lynn, the road goes over the River Great OuseRiver Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
and Fen Rivers Way
Fen Rivers Way
The Fen Rivers Way is a long distance footpath that spans a distance of 50 miles . The path runs between the City of Cambridge and the town of King's Lynn in West Norfolk. It follows the course of many rivers that drain slowly across the fenland landscape into the Wash...
, near to some sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
factories on a very busy concrete dual-carriageway built in 1975. It meets the A148 at a GSJ. The A10 and the A149
A149 road
The A149 is a major route in Norfolk, linking Kings Lynn to Great Yarmouth. It runs via the coast rather than on a more direct route such as the A47. The eastern section runs through The Broads.-Kings Lynn to Wells next the Sea:...
have their terminus here, at the Hardwick Flyover (opened on 30 October 2003) near the large Hardwick Industrial Estate (home of Campbell's Soup) and a Ramada Hotel. It becomes Constitution Hill, passing North Runcton
North Runcton
North Runcton is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is west of Norwich, south-south-west of King's Lynn and north of London. The village is located a small distance south-west of the A47 between King's Lynn and Swaffham. The nearest railway station is at...
then Middleton
Middleton, Norfolk
Middleton is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,516 in 621 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk....
, where it passes the Crown and St Mary's church as Lynn Road. Next is East Winch
East Winch
East Winch is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, a few miles southeast of King's LynnIt covers an area of and had a population of 782 in 325 households as of the 2001 census....
, where it passes All Saints's church, then West Bilney where it passes St Cecilia's church. The former Kings Lynn-Swaffham railway crossed at this point. There is a right-turn for Pentney
Pentney
Pentney is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, located about south east of Kings Lynn placing it about halfway between Kings Lynn and Swaffham on the A47 road....
and it meets the B1153 for East Walton
East Walton
East Walton is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 90 in 40 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk....
. The half-mile £2.8 million Narborough
Narborough, Norfolk
Narborough is a village of 1405 hectares in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England with a population of 1095 as of the 2001 census. It is situated in the Nar Valley, with the river Nar flowing through on its way to the River Great Ouse....
Bypass, opened in November 1992, where the road crosses the River Nar
River Nar
The River Nar is a river in England, and tributary of the River Great Ouse. It rises near Litcham in Norfolk and flows 15 miles west through Castle Acre and Narborough , joining the Ouse at King's Lynn. It has had a variety of alternative names, such as the Setch, the Sandringham, and Lynn Flu,...
and enters the district of Breckland
Breckland (district)
Breckland District is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in East Dereham.Breckland District derives its name from the Breckland landscape region, a gorse covered sandy heath of south Norfolk and north Suffolk...
. There is a straight section to where it meets the A1122 (for RAF Marham
RAF Marham
Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia....
) at a roundabout at the start of the five-mile £5 million part-dual-carriageway Swaffham
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...
Bypass, which opened in June 1981. There is an exit for Swaffham, and a GSJ with the A1065
A1065 road
The A1065 is a main road in the English region of East Anglia. It provides the principal road connection to parts of the west and north of the county of Norfolk from Newmarket and points south of there, including London...
(for Fakenham
Fakenham
Fakenham is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, some north east of King's Lynn, south west of Cromer, and north west of Norwich....
). It passes some wind turbines and there is a roundabout where it joins the former route just before it is crossed by the Peddars Way
Peddars Way
The Peddars Way is a long distance footpath in Norfolk, England. It is 46 miles long and follows the route of a Roman road. It has been suggested by more than one writer that it was not created by the Romans but was an ancient trackway, a branch or extension of the Icknield Way, used and...
. There is a left turn for Sporle and it passes Necton
Necton
Necton, commonly called Neeton, is a village situated on a turning off the A47 main road between Swaffham and East Dereham in the Breckland district of mid-Norfolk. As at the 2001 census it has a population of 1,865 residents and an area of...
then heads north-west through Little Fransham, passing the Canary and Linnet, with a left turn for Crane's Corner. The seven-mile £5 milliom part-dual-carriageway East Dereham Bypass opened in spring 1978, which was built on part of the disused railway line, crosses over a level crossing on the Mid-Norfolk Railway
Mid-Norfolk Railway
The Mid-Norfolk Railway or MNR is a heritage railway in the English county of Norfolk. Opening as a tourist line in 1997, it is often referred to as a "New Generation" heritage railway....
. It passes near Wendling
Wendling
Wendling is a municipality in the district of Grieskirchen in Upper Austria, Austria.-References:...
and St Peter and St Paul church then meets the B1146 (for Dereham) and A1075 (for Shipdham) near a Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
supermarket and B1135. The B1147 leaves for Swanton Morley
Swanton Morley
Swanton Morley is a picturesque village situated in the heart of Norfolk. It is a village steeped in history documented back to the Domesday Book...
. The three-mile £9 million East Dereham-North Tuddenham Improvement opened in August 1992, which passes North Tuddenham
North Tuddenham
North Tuddenham is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, it has a parish church, that is named St Mary's.It covers an area of and had a population of 305 in 121 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland.North...
. It bypasses Hockering
Hockering
Hockering is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 628. By 2007 the district estimated that this had risen to 665.-Geography:...
. It enters the district of Broadland
Broadland
Broadland is a local government district in Norfolk, England, named after the Norfolk Broads. Its council is based in Thorpe St Andrew, which is a suburb of the City of Norwich.-History:The district was formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of St...
at the start of the bypass of Honingham
Honingham
Honingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, located to the west of Norwich along the A47 trunk road. It covers an area of and had a population of 342 in 145 households as of the 2001 census....
, where it crosses the River Tud
River Tud
River Tud is a tributary of the River Wensum, Norfolk in the East of England. The Tud's source is just south of East Dereham and it flows in an easterly direction for to its confluence with the Wensum below Hellesdon mill.-Course:...
. Just before the roundabout at Easton
Easton, Norfolk
Easton is a small village in Norfolk, to the west of Norwich. It covers an area of and had a population of 1,141 in 445 households as of the 2001 census. Located close to the Royal Norfolk Showground and the A47, it also houses Easton College, a large agricultural college...
, it enters the district of South Norfolk
South Norfolk
South Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Long Stratton.-History:The district was formed on April 1, 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of Diss Urban District, Wymondham Urban District, Depwade Rural District, Forehoe and Henstead...
. The dual-carriageway £62 million Norwich Bypass opened in September 1992. At the Longwater Intersection, the A1074 follows the former route through Norwich near the Longwater Retail Park and Sainsbury's. Near Bawburgh
Bawburgh
Bawburgh is a village and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, lying in the valley of the River Yare about west of Norwich city centre. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 466...
, it crosses the River Yare
River Yare
The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches the river connects with the navigable waterways of The Broads....
. There is a GSJ with the B1108, for Little Melton
Little Melton
Little Melton is a village on the outskirts of Norwich in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. It covers an area of and had a population of 851 in 373 households as of the 2001 census....
and Colney
Colney
Colney is a village in the western outskirts of Norwich in Norfolk, England. It is in the administrative district of South Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 124 in 35 households at the 2001 census....
. At Cringleford
Cringleford
Cringleford is a village in Norfolk, England on the outskirts of Norwich. The village is in the South Norfolk local government district but the Norwich South Parliamentary constituency....
, it meets the A11 at the Thickthorn Interchange and Total
Total S.A.
Total S.A. is a French multinational oil company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world.Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and...
Thickthorn Services with the Norwich Little Chef
Little Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
and crosses the Breckland Line
Breckland Line
The Breckland Line runs from Cambridge in Cambridgeshire to Norwich in Norfolk, in East Anglia, England. It is so called because it runs through the Breckland region of Norfolk. The line also passes through Thetford Forest. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5, SRS 05.09 and part...
. Near Keswick Hall, it meets the A140
A140 road
The A140 is an 'A-class' road in Norfolk and Suffolk, East Anglia, England partly following the route of the Roman Pye Road. It runs from the A14 near Needham Market to the A149 south of Cromer. It is of primary status for the entirety of its route. It is approximately 56 miles in length...
at a GSJ near a Tesco, then crosses the Great Eastern Main Line
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line is a 212 Kilometre major railway line of the British railway system, which connects Liverpool Street in the City of London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and several coastal resorts such as...
. It is crossed by Boudica's Way, then meets the A146
A146 road
The A146 is a road that runs between two of East Anglia's largest population centres - Norwich in Norfolk and Lowestoft in Suffolk.The entire route has primary classification and as such has been improved over the years, although traffic levels can lead to delays.- Norwich :Before the construction...
at a GSJ. It crosses the River Yare again at the Postwick Viaduct and enters the district of Broadland. It crosses the Wherry Line
Wherry Lines
The Wherry Lines are railway lines in England, from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. These lines pass through The Broads. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.11 and is classified as a rural line...
and meets the A1042 at a GSJ. The section from the end of this bypass to Blofield
Blofield
Blofield is the village and civil parish in the Broadland district of Norfolk, England. The parish includes Blofield and the hamlets of Blofield Heath and Blofield Corner and, according to the 2001 census, had a population of 3,221. It is on the A47, five miles east of Norwich and west of Great...
, the one-mile £1.2 million Postwick
Postwick with Witton
Postwick with Witton is a civil parish on the Broads in the English county of Norfolk, comprising the two nearby villages of Postwick and Witton. Postwick is some east of the city of Norwich, just south of the eastern end of the A47 Norwich southern bypass on the north bank of the River Yare...
-Blofield Dualling, was opened in November 1987. There is a left turn to Great Plumstead. The one-mile £4 million dual-carriageway Blofield Bypass opened in February 1983, which starts at a roundabout for Brundall
Brundall
Brundall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is located on the north bank of the River Yare opposite Surlingham Broad and about 7 miles east of the city of Norwich....
near the Total
Total S.A.
Total S.A. is a French multinational oil company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world.Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and...
Broadlands Services and the Broadlands Little Chef
Little Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
. It becomes single carriageway and passes North Burlingham near the staggered White House crossroads with the B1140. The three-mile £7.1 million dual-carriageway Acle
Acle
Acle is a small market town on the River Bure on The Norfolk Broads in Norfolk, located halfway between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. It has the only bridge across the River Bure between Wroxham and Great Yarmouth. There is a high school Acle is a small market town on the River Bure on The Norfolk...
Bypass opened in March 1989, which ends at a roundabout with the A1048 near a Travelodge
Travelodge UK
Travelodge Hotels Limited is a private company operating in the hotels and hospitality industry throughout the United Kingdom. Branded simply as Travelodge or Travelodge UK, it is the second largest in the budget hotel sector and third biggest hotel chain in the UK by number of bedrooms...
and the Acle Little Chef
Little Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
, becoming the single carriageway New Road. From Acle, the road enters the infamous Acle Straight which is nearly seven miles of dead straight and near level single carriageway all the way to Great Yarmouth, with just one curve at Road House Diner. The road is notorious for congestion, especially during the holiday season, and also for the number of accidents, which due to the drainage ditches on either side of the road are often fatal, and demands for dualling have been heard for many years, although there are no current plans to go ahead with this. It enters the district of Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth (borough)
The Borough of Great Yarmouth is a local government district with borough status in Norfolk, England. It is named after its main town, Great Yarmouth.-History:...
, then passes close to Breydon Water
Breydon Water
Breydon Water is a massive stretch of sheltered estuary at Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. It is at gateway to the Norfolk Broads. It is the UK's largest protected wetland. It is 5 km long and more than 1.5 km wide in places...
. The northern section of the two-mile £19 million Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
Western Bypass (A12) opened in March 1986, and the southern section opened in May 1985.