A34

One of the motorway network's most glaring missing links is filled by the A34, an expressway from Winchester to Oxford that links the docks at Southampton to the Midlands and the North.

The A34 is the local kid made good, a short road that went on to very great things indeed. Its greatness is a little diminished today, with long lengths replaced by the M40 and M6, but it's still a critically important road for freight traffic.

It started life in 1922 as the road from Winchester to Oxford, and that was that - but in a numbering review in 1934, was the unlikely choice to form a new major route from the south coast to industrial Lancashire. It was extended north from Oxford all the way to Salford via Birmingham, Stoke and Manchester. It still goes all the way to Salford today.

The arrival of the motorway age has seen much of it replaced, so while you could still stubbornly choose to follow the A34 right up to Salford, you'd have a much easier time taking the M40, M42 and M6. The road is still there, except for a gap created parallel to the M40.

The southern section - which, as it happens, is the original bit - is still performing its time-honoured function, linking Winchester to Oxford and providing the first part of that route from the south coast to the north. Today that part is a fast inter-city highway, touching on motorway standard in places, all vastly upgraded over the years, and that's the part described in the Motorway Database.

The final major upgrades to this expressway happened relatively recently, with the opening of the highly controversial Newbury Bypass in the 1990s, and then in the 2000s the upgrades to the M4 interchange that let the A34 pass through non-stop. Those works have effectively completed the route, creating a free-flowing dual carriageway from the M3 to the M40.

That's not to say that it's all sunshine and happiness on the A34 - in fact the cracks are beginning to show. The road is only two lanes each way for its entire length, which are often inadequate, especially around Oxford where it doubles up as the city's outer ring road. And at each end it still smashes headlong into a roundabout where it terminates on the motorway. But all things considered, there are worse ways to travel between Oxford and Winchester.

You're not looking at the whole A34

This page is about the parts of the A34 that are designated a motorway or that have motorway characteristics. Other sections of this road will not be featured here and will not count towards the length of the road as shown below.

Start

Wendlebury

End

Winchester

Passes

Oxford, Newbury

Connects to

M3, M4, M40, A303

Length

70 miles

Exit list

Symbols and conventions are explained in the key to exit lists. You can click any junction to see its full details.

Junction   Northbound               Southbound  
M40 J9
98.2 km
The MIDLANDS
Northampton
Banbury
M40 Link
Aylesbury
Bicester
A41
London
High Wycombe
M40 Link










M40
NORTH
A41










M40
N/A
LanesLanesLanesLanes Signs LanesLanesLanesLanes
2 miles, 2 lanes 2 miles, 2 lanes
96.3 km Weston-on-the-Green
B430
B430 Weston-on-the-Green
B430
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
1 mile, 2 lanes 1 mile, 2 lanes
95.4 km Services Weston Services Weston
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
1 mile, 2 lanes 1 mile, 2 lanes
93.6 km Islip
B4027
B4027 B4027 Islip
B4027
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
4 miles, 2 lanes 1 mile, 2 lanes
92.3 km Kidlington
LanesLanesLanesLanes
  3 miles, 2 lanes
88.2 km Evesham
Woodstock
A44
Oxford
Cheltenham
(A40)
Kidlington
(A4260)
Services Peartree
A44
(A4260)
A44
(A40)
Evesham
Woodstock
A44
Oxford
Cheltenham
(A40)
Kidlington
(A4260)
Services Peartree
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
3 miles, 2 lanes 3 miles, 2 lanes
82.2 km Swindon
Oxford
Bristol
A420
A420 A420 Swindon
Oxford
Bristol
A420
LanesLanesLanesLanes Signs LanesLanesLanesLanes Signs
1 mile, 2 lanes 1 mile, 2 lanes
81.7 km Westminster Way North Hinksey Lane
LanesLanesLanesLanes Signs LanesLanesLanesLanes Signs
1.5 miles, 2 lanes 1.5 miles, 2 lanes
80.0 km North Hinksey
Botley Cemetery
Tennis Club
Oxford RFC
North Hinksey
Botley Cemetery
Tennis Club
Oxford RFC
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
0.5 miles, 2 lanes 0.5 miles, 2 lanes
79.0 km Oxford
Reading
A423
Wootton
A423 Oxford
Reading
A423
Wootton
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
6 miles, 2 lanes 2.5 miles, 2 lanes
75.7 km A4183 Abingdon (N)
A4183
LanesLanesLanesLanes
  3.5 miles, 2 lanes
70.3 km Abingdon
Witney
A415
A415 A415 Abingdon
Witney
A415
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
5 miles, 2 lanes  
64.4 km Milton
Didcot
A4130
A4130 A4130 Chilton
Milton
Didcot
Wantage
A4130
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
4 miles, 2 lanes  
58.2 km Chilton
Wantage
A4185


A4185
B4483


Chilton
Harwell Campus
A4185
LanesLanesLanesLanes
1 mile, 2 lanes 5 miles, 2 lanes
56.8 km West Ilsley West Ilsley
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
2.5 miles, 2 lanes 2 miles, 2 lanes
54.3 km East Ilsley
LanesLanesLanesLanes
   
53.5 km East Ilsley
LanesLanesLanesLanes
4.5 miles, 2 lanes  
52.5 km
  2.5 miles, 2 lanes
Beedon
Worlds End
Chieveley
LanesLanesLanesLanes
  2.5 miles, 2 lanes
M4 J13
44.6 km
London
Reading
SOUTH WALES
Bristol
M4 Link
Services Chieveley
M4



M4



London
Reading
SOUTH WALES
Bristol
M4 Link
Services Chieveley
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
1 mile, 4 lanes 1 mile, 4 lanes
A339 Newbury
Basingstoke
A339
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
3 miles, 2 lanes 3 miles, 2 lanes
Hungerford
Kintbury
A4
B4000

A4
A4 Hungerford
Kintbury
A4
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
4 miles, 2 lanes 4 miles, 2 lanes
36 km Newbury
Woolton Hill
A343
A343 A343 Highclere
Wash Common
A343
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
1 mile, 2 lanes 1 mile, 2 lanes
33.6 km Burghclere
Newtown
B4640
Services Tot Hill
B4640 Burghclere
Newtown
B4640
Services Tot Hill
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
3 miles, 2 lanes  
29.8 km Whitway
Symondton
LanesLanesLanesLanes
4 miles, 2 lanes 7 miles, 2 lanes
25.1 km Litchfield
Dunley
Whitchurch
Litchfield
Dunley
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
5 miles, 2 lanes  
18.2 km Whitchurch
Overton
(B3400)
(B3400)
LanesLanesLanesLanes
2 miles, 2 lanes 7 miles, 2 lanes
16.3 km Local access Local access
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
2 miles, 2 lanes 2 miles, 2 lanes
13.5 km Basingstoke
A303 Link (M3 Link)
Andover
A303 Link
Salisbury
(A343)
A303
(A343)



A303
(M3)

A30
The SOUTH WEST
Andover
London
Basingstoke
A303 Link
Sutton Scotney
A30
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
1.5 miles, 2 lanes 1.5 miles, 2 lanes
11.4 km Services Sutton Scotney Services Sutton Scotney
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
3.5 miles, 2 lanes 3.5 miles, 2 lanes
5.1 km Stockbridge
Wherwell
A272
Worthy Down
A272

B3420
Winchester
B3420
Worthy Down
Kings Worthy
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
2.5 miles, 2 lanes  
1.3 km Kings Worthy
Micheldever
A33
A33
LanesLanesLanesLanes
0.5 miles, 2 lanes 3 miles, 2 lanes
M3 J9
0.0 km
N/A M3












A272 (A31)
SOUTH
M3











London
Basingstoke
M3 Link
Alton
Petersfield
A272 (A31)
Southampton
Portsmouth
M3 Link
Winnall Trading Estate
LanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanes
Routes
A34

Picture credits

With thanks to Johnny for information on this page.

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