Stanworth rock cutting, view east, 14 February 1997
Stanworth rock cutting, view east (see all photos of the same view)
The rock cutting is now complete and the road bed has been created through it; one carriageway now also has one of its initial layers of tarmac in situ. In the distance, a short break in the carriageway just before Stanworth Viaduct marks the transition between the two contracts.
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.
Have you seen...
Alley by gaslight
Some of Central London's quieter streets are still, surprisingly, lit by old and rather beautiful gas lanterns. Here are a few, by day and by night.
