Original J8 on the M4 (was: Unfinished part of the M23?)
 

On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J." wrote:
I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60 years
later.

Good point. I know there are plenty of sections small roads that have
been just cut off and left to their own devices but are there any
large sections of A roads (or motorways) that were bypassed and
disused and just left alone?

B2003

Original J8 on the M4 (was: Unfinished part of the M23?)
 

Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J." wrote:
I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60
years later.

Good point. I know there are plenty of sections small roads that have
been just cut off and left to their own devices but are there any
large sections of A roads (or motorways) that were bypassed and
disused and just left alone?

I don't know, but IMO the Great Dunmow Bypass should be decommissioned or
turned back into a railway when it next needs resurfacing. The new A120 has
rendered it pretty redundant.

Original J8 on the M4 (was: Unfinished part of the M23?)
 

In article . com,
Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J." wrote:
I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60 years
later.

Good point. I know there are plenty of sections small roads that have
been just cut off and left to their own devices but are there any
large sections of A roads (or motorways) that were bypassed and
disused and just left alone?

Probably the longest stretch I know of: when the M74 opened, the A74
trunk dual carriageway was converted to single carriageway B-road, with
the whole length of the second carriageway being abandoned to nature.
CBRD again: http://www.cbrd.co.uk/histories/b7076-b7078/

Nick
--
Serendipity: http://www.leverton.org/blosxom (last update 28th Sep 2007)

"The Internet, an ersatz counterfeit of real life"
-- Janet Street-Porter, BBC2, 19th March 1996

Original J8 on the M4 (was: Unfinished part of the M23?)
 

Nick Leverton wrote:
In article . com,
Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60
years later.

Good point. I know there are plenty of sections small roads that have
been just cut off and left to their own devices but are there any
large sections of A roads (or motorways) that were bypassed and
disused and just left alone?

Probably the longest stretch I know of: when the M74 opened, the A74
trunk dual carriageway was converted to single carriageway B-road,
with the whole length of the second carriageway being abandoned to
nature.

Oh yeah...
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v...2217&encType=1

Original J8 on the M4 (was: Unfinished part of the M23?)
 

On Sep 30, 12:44 pm, "John Rowland"
wrote:
Nick Leverton wrote:
In article . com,
Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60
years later.

Good point. I know there are plenty of sections small roads that have
been just cut off and left to their own devices but are there any
large sections of A roads (or motorways) that were bypassed and
disused and just left alone?

Probably the longest stretch I know of: when the M74 opened, the A74
trunk dual carriageway was converted to single carriageway B-road,
with the whole length of the second carriageway being abandoned to
nature.

Oh yeah...http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v...908083&style=a...

I see a whole new hobby here, finding bit of modern roads that have
been closed, abandoned junction plans etc. There was an interesting
claim in the local paper last week that ground work was actually
undertaken for services betweeb J's 9 and 10 on the M25. This has been
controversial for some years now as locals are worried what effect a
motorway services would have on their million pound plus properties.
Now someone has said that hew was actually engaged in test drilling
back in hte 1980's, before the plan was even officially mooted.

Neill

Original J8 on the M4 (was: Unfinished part of the M23?)
 

"verbena" wrote in message
ups.com...

Oh
yeah...http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v...908083&style=a...

I see a whole new hobby here, finding bit of modern roads that have
been closed, abandoned junction plans etc. There was an interesting
claim in the local paper last week that ground work was actually
undertaken for services betweeb J's 9 and 10 on the M25. This has been
controversial for some years now as locals are worried what effect a
motorway services would have on their million pound plus properties.
Now someone has said that hew was actually engaged in test drilling
back in hte 1980's, before the plan was even officially mooted.


I can think of a few sites on the motorway network where services have been
planned since the very start of construction, a good example is on the M27
at Fareham West, where the the westbound off slip is nearly a mile long
with further slip roads easily visible, and the eastbound on slip is
paralled by about half a mile of road for access to the future services.
Been there 30 years now so why do the Nimbys always seem so surprised?

Paul

Original J8 on the M4 (was: Unfinished part of the M23?)
 

On 1 Oct, 09:59, verbena wrote:
I see a whole new hobby here, finding bit of modern roads that have
been closed, abandoned junction plans etc.

Visit www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum and you'll find yourself in very
like-minded company! Also sister sites www.cbrd.co.uk and www.pathetic.org.uk.

Sam

Original J8 on the M4 (was: Unfinished part of the M23?)
 

On Mon, 1 Oct 2007, Sam wrote:

On 1 Oct, 09:59, verbena wrote:
I see a whole new hobby here, finding bit of modern roads that have
been closed, abandoned junction plans etc.

Visit www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum and you'll find yourself in very
like-minded company! Also sister sites www.cbrd.co.uk and
www.pathetic.org.uk.

Yep, road nutters, god bless 'em - i told you we had them! Although i'd
failed to account for junction nutters as a subtype. Hmm; there must be
rail junction nutters too, maybe we could have a joint shindig?

tom

--
there is not much call for a Chinese George Michael

Original J8 on the M4 (was: Unfinished part of the M23?)
 

On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J." wrote:
Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 7:59 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
You can still see the original curve of the M4 just to the
north-east of the J8/9 roundabout.

You can see it quite clearly in google earth, it looks quite green.
Did they dig up the road surface or did they just let it return to
nature on its own? If the latter it says a lot about how long our
infrastructure wouldn't last if humanity suddenly vanished from the
planet :)

I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60 years
later.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

There's another strange bit further along between Junctions 7 and 6 on
the north side, at the point where the sewage farm is on the opposite
side. I think it looks about where you have a sign for Legoland. As I
remember, the fence curves away from the carriageway at that point.

Neill

Original J8 on the M4 (was: Unfinished part of the M23?)
 

verbena wrote:
On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 7:59 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
You can still see the original curve of the M4 just to the
north-east of the J8/9 roundabout.

You can see it quite clearly in google earth, it looks quite
green. Did they dig up the road surface or did they just let it
return to nature on its own? If the latter it says a lot about
how long our infrastructure wouldn't last if humanity suddenly
vanished from the planet :)

I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60
years later.

There's another strange bit further along between Junctions 7 and 6
on the north side, at the point where the sewage farm is on the
opposite side. I think it looks about where you have a sign for
Legoland. As I remember, the fence curves away from the carriageway
at that point.

That's comparatively recent. A bank of earth was erected some years ago
to provide noise protection for the housing estate that was built just
north of the motorway. Presumably for emergency access reasons, there
is a break in the bank, but it's arranged so that there is no direct
path through it in order to maintain the noise protection. It's at 51
30'31"N 0 38'28"W on Google Earth.

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)