M31 motorway
Encyclopedia
The M31 motorway was planned as a Reading
to M3 motorway which was dubbed the 'M3 – M4
link motorway'. It would have provided a direct high speed route between the two motorways. The motorway was planned at the same time as the largely unrealised London Ringways
scheme and an additional section was planned that would have taken the M31 south and east from the M3 to connect to the scheme's Ringway 4
(now the M25
) providing a shorter route for traffic travelling between the west and Surrey
and Kent
.
Only part of the planned route was built; it bears the designations A329(M)
and A3290.
Had the motorway been constructed it would have provided an alternative to the south-west section of the M25, reducing the motorway journey between Reading and Byfleet by approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) and alleviating traffic on what is the M25's busiest section.
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
to M3 motorway which was dubbed the 'M3 – M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
link motorway'. It would have provided a direct high speed route between the two motorways. The motorway was planned at the same time as the largely unrealised London Ringways
London Ringways
The London Ringways were a series of four ring roads planned in the 1960s to circle London at various distances from the city centre. They were part of a comprehensive scheme developed by the Greater London Council to alleviate traffic congestion on the city's road system by providing high speed...
scheme and an additional section was planned that would have taken the M31 south and east from the M3 to connect to the scheme's Ringway 4
Ringway 4
Ringway 4 was the outermost of the series of four London Ringways, ring roads planned in the 1960s to circle London at various distances from the city centre...
(now the M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
) providing a shorter route for traffic travelling between the west and Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Only part of the planned route was built; it bears the designations A329(M)
A329(M) motorway
The A329 is a motorway in Berkshire, England. It is 4 miles long and runs from the north of Bracknell to the south east of Reading.-Route:...
and A3290.
Had the motorway been constructed it would have provided an alternative to the south-west section of the M25, reducing the motorway journey between Reading and Byfleet by approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) and alleviating traffic on what is the M25's busiest section.