A49 underbridge, view north, 10 January 1996

A49 underbridge, view north (see all photos of the same view)

The A49 has moved to its new course under the motorway, and the width of the underpass is now clear. It appears to have been designed to accommodate a dual carriageway underneath, should one ever be required. The old course of the A49 has been buried below the embankment, though the earthworks do not yet meet the abutments of the bridge.

Date
Direction of view
North
Structures visible

Structure 5 (A49 underbridge)

Roads visible

A49 Wigan Road

What's new

The road that made no sense

It was the UK's only single-carriageway motorway, and twenty years ago it ceased to exist. This is the story of the strange fascination it held, and of my place in history.

The forever bottleneck, part 2

The second part of the story, where we learn why exactly the M4 gets narrower on the final approach to Europe’s biggest city.

The forever bottleneck, part 1

The M4 into London was one of the UK's earliest and most ambitious motorway projects. It was bold, pioneering... and almost instantly regretted.

Share this page

Have you seen...

M25 Orbital Motorway

The M25 is either one of the greatest transport achievements of the 20th century or one of Britain's largest planning failures, depending on which way you look at it. This booklet takes the former view, celebrating the completion of the circuit in 1986.