A3 Kingston Bypass

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The Kingston Bypass which is now part of the A3 may be known for congestion, speed cameras, narrow lanes, bad alignments and scary underpasses but really is an incredible road.

The town of Kingston-upon-Thames once had a big coaching trade but it was one of the first towns in England to be bypassed, with a dual-carriageway bypass being built in the 1930s. The road was a duel carriageway with a wide grassy central gap and verges on the sides and some traffic light junctions, and it was not long before semi-detatched houses lined the sides. The road was built from Robin Hood Junction by Richmond Park to Hinchley Wood.

In the 1960s, the road was increased to six rather narrow lanes and a thin barrier in the middle, and the junctions were replaced with interchanges which often had steep underpasses which are prone to flooding. The Esher Bypass was also linked to the road and now carries most of the traffic away from London.

See www.cbrd.co.uk/media/video/kingston.shtml