A52 road
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The A52 is a major road in England. It runs east from the junction with the A53 at Newcastle-under-Lyme near Stoke-on-Trent via Ashbourne, Derby, Stapleford, Nottingham, Grantham, Boston and Skegness before terminating on the east Lincolnshire coast at Mablethorpe. It is 147 miles of what some regard as speed-camera cluttered tarmac.
The stretch between Derby and Nottingham is now also known as Brian Clough Way in honour of the late Derby County and Nottingham Forest manager.
The road used to start at Nantwich in Cheshire, but was renumbered to become the A500.
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[edit] Route
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[edit] Newcastle-under-Lyme - Derby
The road starts as Ryecroft from the roundabout with the A34 and B5367. It is dual carriageway until the next roundabout, forming part of the Newcastle ring road, with the A527 and A53. It passes the leisure centre on the right, then veers right at a junction with the B5045 (which continues on the main road), where it enters the borough of Stoke-on-Trent. As Hartshill Road, it passes the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and enters the town of Stoke-upon-Trent. It takes two possible routes around the town centre, meeting the A500 D Road. It goes under the West Coast Main Line near Stoke on Trent railway station and becomes Leek Road, passing one campus of Staffordshire University. It meets the A50 at a roundabout near Hanley. It meets the A5008 and A5009 (for Leek) at crossroads, where it turns right. There is a junction with the A5272 (for Berry Hill). As Werrington Road it passes the Mitchell High School and enters Staffordshire and the borough of the Staffordshire Moorlands. It passes through Ash Bank and Staffordshire, then meets the A520 (for Leek) at crossroads , then multiplexes with the A522 (for Cheadle). It passes through Kingsley, and meets the A521 and B5053 (for Ipstones). It passes through Whiston and meets the B5417 (for Oakamoor). It meets the A523 (for Leek) and passes through Swinscoe, then briefly enters East Staffordshire.
The road enters Derbyshire and the Derbyshire Dales district where it crosses the River Dove over the Hanging Bridge near the junction with the B5032 at Mayfield close to the Queens Arms Hotel. The £3m 1.5 mile Ashbourne Relief Road opened in October 1994. There is a roundabout for the exit to Ashbourne and one with the A515. The road climbs up the side of the Dove Valley, and there is a central overtaking/crawler lane. The roundabout with the eastern exit to Ashbourne is near an old airfield which is now an industrial estate. The area around the next section of road to Derby has links with Bonnie Prince Charlie. It passes through Brailsford and at Kirk Langley, there is a junction with the B5020 for Mickleover. It passes Mackworth and Markeaton Park. Entering Derby as Ashbourne Road, it meets the busy A38 at a roundabout, and Esso Mackworth Service Station. It passes the Shell Friargate garage on the left. From here to the dual-cariageway is a popular pub crawl, with many student residences close by for the University of Derby.
[edit] Derby - Nottingham
It multiplexes with the A601 Derby Inner Ring Road, and from the Radio Derby building (to the west of the city centre) to Nottingham, it is dual-carriageway. It crosses the River Derwent, and there is the Pentagon Island Grade Separated Junction (GSJ) with the A61 near Chaddesden and the Texaco Pentagon Service Station. The westbound-direction is not grade-separated and meets the roundabout, thus causing many severe queues at rush-hour. Westbound traffic would be better choosing another route from 8 - 9am. The next junction is a GSJ for the Wyvern Retail Park, and passes a KFC, Pizza Hut and Sainsbury's. Near Spondon, there is a large GSJ with the A5111 Derby outer ring road, also near a large Asda. The £4.4m half-mile Borrowash Bypass Extension opened in May 1980. Further east, it is the main east-west route from Derby to Nottingham, connecting the two towns via the busy junction 25 of the M1 near Stapleford, passing the Shell Ockbrook garage on the left near Ockbrook. It crosses the Nottingham section of the Midland Main Line, and the River Erewash and Erewash Canal, entering Nottinghamshire and the borough of Broxtowe. The next roundabout is with Toton Lane (B6003) which is for Stapleford and is near the George Spencer Foundation School and a garden centre. It passes through Bramcote at the roundabout with the A6007 next to Bramcote leisure centre and becomes a three-lane dual carriageway, however the left lane is a bus lane. There is a right-turn at traffic lights for Wollaton Road (B6006) for Beeston near the Nurseryman pub. It enters the City of Nottingham at the A6464 roundabout (Woodside Road leading to the A6005) with the Shell Priory garage on the right, and the Wollaton Park Toby Carvery pub on the left on Wollaton Vale road. The junction at the Queen's Medical Centre was originally a roundabout, but became a GSJ, costing £3.7m in late 1983. Nearby is the University of Nottingham. The former route through Nottingham is now the A6200, and followed Maid Marian Way, then past the train station on Carrington Street, and through The Meadows to a point near the A60/A6011 junction, over Trent Bridge and along the current A6520 Radcliffe Road. South of here it follows the former A614 as Clifton Boulevard. There is a junction for Abbey Street (A6005) which was originally a much smaller temporary flyover, but was improved in June 1990 at a cost of £5.5m, which is where the former A614 terminated. It crosses the Beeston Canal and Nottingham - Derby/Loughborough railway line and follows the Clifton Boulevard around the south of Nottingham. It multiplexes with the A453, then the A453 exits for the M1 and Clifton near the Texaco Silverdale Service Station. One of the bridges over the Trent includes a section of the former B680 (which became the A453). It enters the borough of Rushcliffe and meets the A60 (for Ruddington), then the A606 at busy roundabouts. This £6m two mile section from Gamston to Lings Bar opened in September 1981 as Gamston Lings Bar Road. It passes close to Tollerton Airfield and a large Morrisons (former Safeway), and crosses the Grantham Canal. The section from the QMC to the A606 roundabout used to be the A614 until the Gamston section was opened. The former route of the A52 into Nottingham is now the A6200 and A6011.
[edit] Nottingham- Grantham
Heading east as Radcliffe Road, the road is dual-carriageway until Radcliffe on Trent as Grantham Road. There is the BP Pierrepont Filling Station next to a Little Chef just before the turn-off for Radcliffe on Trent. This stretch has SPECS cameras along it. Close by is the Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre. The road goes past Saxondale, then meets the A46 at a large roundabout, which has the Shell Saxondale garage. The road runs parallel for many miles with the Nottingham-Grantham railway. The £2.6m two mile Bingham bypass opened in December 1986. The road passes the JET Kings Service Station on the left. There is a left turn for Scarrington, then it passes a prison at Whatton, near to where it crosses the River Smite. It passes The Haven pub, and after Elton where it passes the Manor Arms, it enters Leicestershire, the district of Melton, and the Vale of Belvoir at the start of the Bottesford bypass, which opened in February 1989 with an extremely wide concrete £3m three mile two-way road. It passes by Muston and enters Lincolnshire and South Kesteven at the crossing of Sewstern Lane (the Viking Way), passing through Sedgebrook. Belvoir Castle can be seen in the distance. The road climbs a steep hill near Barrowby, crosses the A1 and becomes Barrowby Road. The section of road from Radcliffe on Trent to Grantham was planned to become a dual-carriageway in the 1990s, but there are no plans at present.
Only until recently was this busy trunk road part of the High Street in Grantham; now it is diverted alongside the East Coast Main Line on Saint Augustin Way. At the bottom of Barrowby Road is a low-height railway bridge, which in 2005 was the most hit railway bridge in the UK. At the start of Saint Augustin Way, the road passes an Asda on the left. It meets Dysart Road at traffic lights and turns left at a roundabout onto Wharf Road, passing a large Morrisons store, then turning right at traffic lights onto London Road, passing Sainsburys. The most sensible route around Grantham is to follow the A1 from Barrowby and take the A607 exit into Grantham, although there is a low bridge on Springfield Road. There have been plans for an A52 bypass south of Grantham, which have many cycle-riding objectors. South of the town, it meets the B1174 at traffic lights, with the Total St Leonards Service Station on the left.
[edit] Grantham - Boston
From Grantham, which was the A52's original eastern end, the road continues as Bridge End Road then Somerby Hill eastwards, passing the Shell Somerby Hill Service Station on the left, rising up the valley of the River Witham to reach the ancient Ermine Street roman road at the B6403/B1176 roundabout, which it follows for about a half mile. Ermine Street continues as the B6403 northwards. Traffic for Skegness may want to take the A153 instead (via the Sleaford bypass), as from Boston - Wainfleet, the traffic slows down. Just before a turning to the right for Haceby, the road enters North Kesteven. There are turnings for Dembleby and Newton. It meets the A15 at a roundabout, and passes through Threekingham, with the Holland Road Service Station on the right, where it re-enters South Kesteven. From here to the South-Forty Foot Drain (about five miles), the road lies on the border of the districts of North Kesteven and South Kesteven. There are crossroads with the B1394 (for Swaton and Horbling), and the road meets the B1177 from nearby Billingborough. At Donington High Bridge, it enters the district of South Holland. It passes over the Sleaford-Spalding railway and at Donington there is a roundabout with the A152 (the former name of the A52 east of Grantham). It enters the borough of Boston and there is a bypass to the south of Bicker where it meets the B1181, then it passes the Texaco Bicker Bar Service Station on the left at the roundabout with the A17. It passes through Drayton, meets the B1391, then the B1192 joins to the left at Kirton Holme and there are crossroads again with the B1192 (for Hubbert's Bridge to the left). Near Boston, you won't find a straighter or flatter road, as the road follows the New Hammond Beck. It meets a roundabout with a Tesco superstore and B&Q on the left at Wyberton Fen. The Hammer & Pincers pub is on the left just before a roundabout, where the main route follows to the left, and the straight-on direction is for Wyberton. The Alban Retail Park is on the right before it crosses the South Forty Foot Drain and railway at a level crossing, then meets the A1121 from the left at a mini-roundabout close to a Peugeot, Citroën and BMW (Taylors) garage. It enters Boston as Sleaford Road along a long straight avenue of trees, passing the Shell Boston garage on the right. There are crossroads for Brothertoft Road (A1137), then a mini-roundabout with Carlton Road, then more crossroads, with Asda to the left, just before a level crossing with the railway near the train station. There is a mini-roundabout with West Street to the left near The Eagle pub. There is a retail with a McDonalds on the right. There are some crossroads with King Street, then Marriots Mazda garage on the left before a traffic-light controlled roundabout with the A16 Spalding Road (which it multiplexes with through Boston). Some residents want a bypass.
[edit] Boston - Mablethorpe
In Boston, it follows the inner relief road, where it becomes John Adams Way, which crosses the River Witham (where it is tidal), passing the Esso John Adams Way Service Station on the right, close to two speed cameras in either direction and overshadowed by the floodlights of Boston United. There are traffic lights at a roundabout with the A1137/B1183 (for Horncastle), where the inner-relief road ends near the Red Cow Hotel. Boston Shopping Park is on the left, and the road becomes Spilsby Road, passing Holy Trinity church on the left, and the Mill Inn which is close to Boston High School. The road has a roundabout with the A16 and becomes Wainfleet Road. At the roundabout, Skegness is signposted in the direction of the A16. It crosses the Hobhole Drain, goes through Haltoft End where it passes the Freiston Centre for Environmental Education. The road goes through Benington, Leverton, Old Leake, where it meets the B1184 near the The Giles School, and Wrangle.
The section between Boston and Skegness has had straighter sections since the late 1990s. It passes through Wainfleet St Mary (near the home of Batemans Brewery), and meets the B1195, then crosses the Steeping River and over a level crossing. Entering Skegness, it passes a retail park and Skegness Hospital. It meets the B1451 roundabout in the centre of Skegness near a Morrisons (fomer Safeway) superstore and the train station. After the junction with the A158 (from Lincoln), it is no longer a trunk road, becoming Roman Bank and passing the Total North End Service Station on the right. North of Skegness, it meets Seathorne near Skegness Water Leisure Park, Butlins and Fantasy Island. It passes through Ingoldmells, heading slightly westwards through Hogsthorpe, Mumby then meets the B1449. It passes through Huttoft, Sandilands and reaches Sutton-on-Sea and the A1111. At Trusthorpe it passes some radio masts. It reaches Mablethorpe, and ends at the junction of Victoria Road and the High Street (A1104).
According to the AA, Newcastle-under-Lyme to Derby takes 56 minutes, Derby to Boston takes 100 minutes, and Boston to Mablethorpe takes 62 minutes, taking three hours and thirty eight minutes to travel the whole distance.
[edit] External links
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A roads in Zone 5 of the Great Britain road numbering system |
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| A5 | A50 - A51 - A52 - A53 - A54 - A55 - A56 - A57 - A58 - A59 | |
| A500 - A501 - A505 - A508 - A509 - A511 - A512 - A514 - A518 - A519 | ||
| A525 - A528 - A530 - A533 - A556 - A562 - A563 - A565 - A570 - A574 - A580 - A583 | ||
| A590 - A591 -A592 - A594 - A595 - A596 - | ||
| A5012 - A5025 - A5036 - A5038 | ||
| A5103 - A5112 - A5117 - A5124 - A5127 - A5130 | ||
| A5183 - A5199 - A5300 | ||
| List of A roads in Zone 5 | ||
