A381 road
 | |
|---|---|
 A381 atHarbertonford | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 34 mi (55 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| Northeast end | Teignmouth 50°32′50″N3°30′35″W/ 50.5472°N 3.5097°W |
 A379 A383 A380 A382 A385 A3122A379 | |
| Southwest end | Salcombe 50°13′56″N3°46′40″W/ 50.2322°N 3.7778°W |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Primary destinations | Teignmouth Newton Abbot Totnes |
| Road network | |
TheA381 roadis a non-trunk'A'-class road inDevon,Englandwhich serves as an important link between the towns of Teignmouth, Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot, Totnes and Salcombe and many villages in between, with the busiest section (in Newton Abbot) having 6 lanes and carrying an average of over 40,000 vehicles per day.[1]The routeoverlapswith other A-roads for several sections of its length. It is a faster route from Teignmouth to Salcombe than theA379which meets it at both ends. It is under the control ofDevon County Councilas highway authority.
Route
[edit]The A381 starts inTeignmouthfrom a junction with theA379atShaldon Bridge,following theTeign EstuarytoKingsteignton,where itoverlapstheA380to cross the River Teign. At thePenn Inn Roundaboutit then continues west on a shortdual carriagewayinto centralNewton Abbotand southwest toTotnes.Here it overlaps theA385to cross theRiver Dartand themain London-Penzance railway line.[2]
From a junction on the west of Totnes it rises southwards into theSouth Hams.This section of the road is an important link to the national road network for the town ofDartmouth(served by theA3122) as the alternative A379 viaTorbayis reliant upon theDartmouth Higher Ferrywith its associatedfaresand peak-time queues. As the road approachesKingsbridgeit enters theSouth DevonArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty[3]and skirts around the edge of the town, overlapping for a short distance with the A379 road before finally turning south toSalcombe.An identically-numberedspur from this road turns back eastward to Kingsbridge.
History
[edit]
The constant pressure of traffic through the narrow streets of Totnes town centre prompted the construction of the Western Bypass around the edge of the town, together with a second crossing of the River Dart atBrutus Bridgein 1982. The tight-knit nature of the town centre's development, quickly thinning to countryside, meant that relatively few buildings needed demolition to facilitate construction of the new road.[4]
In 1991 and 2006 the route through and around Kingsbridge was redrawn twice, when the section northwest of Kingsbridge was downgraded toB-road statusleaving a gap in the route, and subsequently diverted to the former route of the B3197 around the west side of the town leaving the original section through West Alvington as a spur of the new road.[5]
As a rural main road, the A381 has been the scene of multiple accidents. During 2008-2010 there were three fatal accidents on the section from Totnes to Halwell, promptingDevon County Councilto implement a Casualty Severity Reduction Scheme, improving road markings and signage.[6]
On Sunday 20 May 2012 a 0.7-mile (1.1 km) section of the road through Totnes was part of theOlympic Torch processionfor theLondon 2012 Olympics.[7]
List of settlements
[edit]These towns and villages are either on or immediately adjacent to the road, in the order they appear travelling northeast to southwest. There are other settlements but only those with their own Wikipedia article are included here.
- Teignmouth
- Bishopsteignton
- Kingsteignton
- Newton Abbot
- Abbotskerswell
- Ipplepen
- Totnes
- Harbertonford
- Halwell
- The Mounts
- West Alvington
- Kingsbridge
- Malborough
- Salcombe
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^"Traffic Counts".Department for Transport.Retrieved30 January2013.
- ^"A381:Roader's Digest".The Society for All British and Irish Road Enthusiasts. 17 May 2012.Retrieved1 January2013.
- ^"Map of South Devon AONB".South Devon AONB. 2012.Retrieved1 January2013.
- ^Alan Cheetham."Totnes Conservation Area Appraisal"(PDF).South Hams District Council. p. 2. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 29 September 2011.Retrieved30 January2013.
- ^Philip Roud."A379 Torquay-Plymouth".The Society for All British Road Enthusiasts.Retrieved3 February2013.
- ^Lester Willmington (2 December 2011)."Casualty Severity Reduction Scheme – A381 Halwell to Totnes".South Hams Highways and Traffic Orders Committee. Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved29 January2013.
- ^"Torchbearer Street Route"(PDF).BBC News.Retrieved22 January2013.
A roads in Zone 3 of theGreat Britain road numbering scheme | ||
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