A37 road

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A37 shield
A37
A foreshortened view of the A37 south towards Belluton - geograph.org.uk - 482661.jpg
The A37 north of Pensford
Route information
Length60.4 mi[1] (97.2 km)
Major junctions
South end A35 / A352 near Dorchester
50°42′43″N 2°28′23″W / 50.712°N 2.473°W / 50.712; -2.473
Major intersections A30 in Yeovil

A303 in Ilchester
A372 near Podimore
A361 near Shepton Mallet
A371 near Shepton Mallet
A39 near Farrington Gurney
A368 near Pensford

A4174 in Bristol
North end A4 in Bristol
51°26′38″N 2°34′41″W / 51.444°N 2.578°W / 51.444; -2.578
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
CountiesDorset, Somerset
Primary
destinations
Bristol
Shepton Mallet
Yeovil
Dorchester
Road network
A36 A38

The A37 is a major road in south west England.

Route[edit]

It runs north from the A35 at Dorchester in Dorset into Somerset through Yeovil and Shepton Mallet before terminating at the Three Lamps junction with the A4 in central Bristol. The road is entirely single carriageway, except in the Yeovil and Bristol built-up areas, at Ilchester (where it multiplexes with the A303), and north of Dorchester.

Fosse Way[edit]

From the Podimore roundabout northeast of Ilchester to Shepton Mallet the route traces that of the Fosse Way.

The road today[edit]

The road is subject to a stream of speed restrictions where it winds through a number of small villages. These parts of the road can be dangerous, especially where wide vehicles pass on sections where buildings are close to the road.

History[edit]

1922 road classification[edit]

The original A37 in 1922 started in Fortuneswell, Isle of Portland, however, the section to Dorchester was soon renumbered A354, presumably to create a link between the major port of Weymouth and the A30 at Salisbury, from where the route would continue to London. Such a route has now been superseded by the M27 and M3.

One of the worst accident spots on the A37 was the A371 junction just south of Shepton Mallet. The junction was always very busy and suffered long traffic queues due to the nature of the road. The junction was also a point where traffic would converge or pass through from multiple locations, this was further exacerbated by the A361 Glastonbury junction which backed right onto the first junction. This muddled configuration resulted in numerous road traffic accidents, many of which were fatal.

After a long campaign for the junction to be replaced, a roundabout was constructed in 1999 significantly improving road safety and traffic flow. There have been few other construction schemes on the road in recent decades.

In recent years most of the overtaking lanes, provided on steep stretches just south of Bristol, have been blocked out with chevrons.

Future[edit]

A potential extension of the Avon Ring Road (A4174) from the Hicks Gate Roundabout between Keynsham and Bristol to the A37 south of Whitchurch would provide a direct link to the M32 and M4 north of Bristol.[2]

Junction list[edit]

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
DorsetWinterbourne MarketBradford PeverellDorchester boundary0.00.0 A35 / A352 south / B3150 / Bridport Road to A354 / A31 – Honiton, Poole, Weymouth, Blandford, Ringwood, Dorchester, Winterbourne Abbas, Bridport, Winterbourne Monkton, Puddletown, Wareham, MartinstownSouthern terminus; southern terminus of A352 concurrency
Charminster1.62.6 A352 north (North Street) – Charminster, Cerne Abbas, SherborneNorthern terminus of A352 concurrency
Frampton4.67.4 A356 north-west (Dorchester Road) – Crewkerne, Frampton, Maiden NewtonSouth-eastern terminus of A356
SomersetYeovil18.930.4 A30 west to M5 / A303 – Chard, Crewkerne, Exeter, TauntonOnly A30, Chard, and Crewkerne signed southbound; southern terminus of A30 concurrency
19.331.1 Lysander Road (A3088 west) / Brunswick Street to M5 / A303 – Taunton, Exeter, Chard, Crewkerne, Montacute, Stoke-sub-HamdonMontacute and Stoke-sub-Hamdon signed westbound only; eastern terminus of A3088
19.932.0 A30 east (Reckleford) / Park Road – Town centre, SherborneEastern terminus of A30 concurrency
20.132.3 A359 north (Mudford Road) / Preston Road – Frome, Odcombe, Montacute, Queen Camel, Marston Magna, MudfordSouthern terminus of A359
Ilchester24.7–
25.4
39.8–
40.9
A303 south-west to M5 / A358 – Exeter, TauntonTo M5 signed northbound only, To A358 southbound only
Yeovilton27.444.1 A303 north-east / A372 north-west / Podimore Road to B3151 – London, Andover, Langport, Wincanton, Sparkford, Podimore, Street, Somerton, YeoviltonYeovilton signed southbound only; northern terminus of A303 concurrency; south-eastern terminus of A372
PiltonDoultingShepton Mallet boundary39.463.4 A361 south (East Compton Road) – Glastonbury, Taunton, PiltonSouthern terminus of A361 concurrency
Shepton Mallet39.563.6 A371 south-east to A303 / B3081 – Castle Cary, EvercreechSouthern terminus of A371 concurrency
40.0–
40.7
64.4–
65.5
A361 north / A371 north-west – Frome, Shepton Mallet, WellsNorthern terminus of A361 / A371 concurrency
Ashwick42.969.0 A367 north (Bath Road) – Radstock, Oakhill, Stratton-on-the-Fosse, BathOnly Bath signed southbound only; southern terminus of A367
Ston Easton48.678.2 A39 south-west – WellsSouthern terminus of A39 concurrency
Farrington Gurney49.179.0 A362 east – Midsomer Norton, Radstock, FromeWestern terminus of A362
High Littleton50.080.5 A39 north-east (Wells Road) to B3355 – Bath, High Littleton, Hallatrow, PaultonNorthern terminus of A39 concurrency
Chelwood53.586.1 A368 – Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Chelwood, Marksbury, Keynsham, Bishop Sutton
Bristol59.095.0 A4174 (Airport Road / Wootton Park) to M5 / M32 / M4 / A38 / A4 – Bath, Taunton, Avonmouth, Bristol Airport, Brislington, St Philip's Marsh, Hartcliffe, BishopsworthOnly Bath, Taunton, and Avonmouth signed southbound
60.497.2 A4 west – City centre, Knowle, TotterdownNorthern terminus; no acess to A4 east or from A4 west
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Monkeys Jump Roundabout, Poundbury, Dorchester DT2 9DL, UK to Higham Street Green, Higham St, Bristol BS4 2BJ, UK". Google Maps. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  2. ^ "The new ring road and suburb that will change Bristol forever". 19 November 2018.

External links[edit]