NationMaster - Encyclopedia: A2 road (Great Britain)

The A2 is a major road in the United Kingdom, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. This route has always been of importance as a connection between Continental Europe and the major part of the British Isles. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Central London is a much-used but unofficial and vaguely defined term for the most inner part of London, the capital of England. ... The colour scheme used to denote a primary route. ... Canterbury is a cathedral city in east Kent in South East England and is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of All England, head of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Arms of Dover Borough Council This article is about the English port/town. ... Image File history File links UK_motorway_M2. ... There are also M2 motorways in Northern Ireland and Australia The M2 motorway is a motorway in England. ... Image File history File links UK_motorway_M25. ... The M25 motorway looking south between junctions 14 and 15, near Heathrow Airport. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The London Inner Ring Road is the name commonly given to a route formed from a number major roads that encircle the centremost part of London. ... Image File history File links UK_road_A102. ... The A102 is a road that starts in Clapton in the the north London Borough of Hackney and ends in Charlton in the south London Borough of Greenwich. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The A20 is a two-digit major road in south-east England, carrying traffic from London to Dover in Kent. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The A28 near Rolvenden The A28 is a major road in England. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The London Inner Ring Road is the name commonly given to a route formed from a number major roads that encircle the centremost part of London. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The A202 is a primary A road in London. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The A205 or South Circular Road is a roughly semicircular trunk road that joins west London to east London via south London. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The A228 road is an important transport artery in Kent, England. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The A249 at Danaway. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The A282 is a road linking the two ends of the M25 at Dartford and Thurrock, via the Dartford Crossing. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The A299, better known as the Thanet Way, is a major road in the county of Kent in England, which runs from Brenley Corner near Faversham (where it merges into the M2) to Ramsgate via Whitstable and Herne Bay. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The A3 is a trunk road in Southern England, connecting London to Portsmouth. ... The A2 is a major road in Northern Ireland. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: (IPA: ), the sleeve; Dutch: Het Kanaal) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... Arms of Dover Borough Council This article is about the English port. ... coat of Arms of Kent For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. ... Location of the British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands off the north west coast of continental Europe comprising Great Britain, Ireland and a number of smaller islands. ...

Unlike the other single digit A-roads in Great Britain, the A2 does not form a zone boundary (in this case between Zone 1 and Zone 2). The Zone 1/2 boundary is in fact the River Thames. The Great Britain road numbering scheme is a numbering system used to classify and identify all major roads in Great Britain. ... The Thames (pronounced //) is a river flowing through southern England, and one of the major waterways in England. ...

History of the route

The original A2 roughly followed the route of a Celtic ancient trackway which the Romans later paved and identified as Iter III on the Antonine Itinerary. The Anglo-Saxons named it Wæcelinga Stræt which developed into the modern Watling Street. It was one of the most important Roman roads in Britain, since it linked London with Canterbury , and from there to three Channel ports: Richborough (Rutupiae); Dover (Dubris) and Lympne (Lemanis). The road had river crossings at Rochester over the River Medway; Dartford (River Darent) and Crayford (River Cray). It continued in use long after the Romans departed in the 5th century. Download high resolution version (906x454, 165 KB)A map of the lower Thames in 1840. ... Download high resolution version (906x454, 165 KB)A map of the lower Thames in 1840. ... This article is about the European people. ... The Concise Oxford Dictionary gives the definition of trackway as a path formed by the repeated treading of people or animals, and it is with this idea in mind that this article has been written. ... The Antonine Itinerary is a Latin document that can be described as the Road Map of Roman Britain. ... The modern Watling Street crossing the Medway at Rochester near the Roman and Celt crossings Watling Street is the name given to a British ancient trackway which was first used by the Celts mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. ... Canterbury is a cathedral city in east Kent in South East England and is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of All England, head of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Richborough is a settlement just north of Sandwich on the east coast of the English county of Kent. ... Lympne (pronounced limm) village is situated on the once sea cliffs above the Romney Marsh in Kent. ... Rochester is a small town in Kent, at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London. ... The River Medway in England flows for 112 km from Turners Hill, in West Sussex, through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, to the River Thames at Sheerness, where it is the latters last tributary. ... Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. ... The confluence of the River Darent (left) and the River Cray (right) on Crayford Marshes. ... For other uses, see Crayford (disambiguation). ... The confluence of the River Darent (left) and the River Cray (right) on Crayford Marshes. ...

By the 17th century the road, like most roads in Britain, had fallen into disrepair, although the bridge at Rochester remained in good condition, since it was maintained by the Bridge Wardens. Turnpike Acts began to be passed by Parliament, as a result of which such roads were opened piecemeal: the section of what is now the A2 between Gravesend and Rochester was turnpiked in 1712; that between Chatham and Canterbury in 1730. The road from there to Dover was not turnpiked until early in the 19th century, by which time it had become known as the Great Dover Road. The 1970 Rochester Bridge forms the east-bound lanes of the A2 across the River Medway Rochester Bridge was for centuries the lowest fixed crossing of the River Medway in Kent, southern England. ... The Hyde Park Toll Gate, London. ... The Houses of Parliament, as seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. ... Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. ... Chatham is an English town that developed around an important naval dockyard on the east bank of the River Medway to the east of London in the county of Kent. ...

In the 1920s, when British roads were allocated numbers, the A2 became the principal road in the south-eastern section of Britain. Its original alignment roughly followed a mix of the ancient Celtic route and the turnpike road to Dover. The Roman alignment, however, is not easy to identify and much of the original A2 does not exactly follow what is known of the Roman route (the straightness of many long stretches is misleading). However, a section of the modern A2 from Rochester to the Roman settlement of Vagniacae, modern Springhead, is believed to roughly follow the Roman route. Springhead (or Vagniacea) lies at the source of the Ebbsfleet stream, just southwest of the Gravesend suburban conurbations. ...

The route today

Image File history File links Information_icon. ... Shortcut: WP:WIN Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, also an online community. ... Shortcut: WP:CU Marking articles for cleanup This page is undergoing a transition to an easier-to-maintain format. ... This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ...

Borough to Shooter's Hill

The A2 starts at Borough in SE London, at a junction with the A3. The remains of a small Roman temple was recently excavated at Tabard Square. The A2 at this point is named Great Dover Street, and is the only part of the A2 within the congestion charging zone. At the end of the road, it meets the London Inner Ring Road and becomes a primary route. The A2 heads along Old Kent Road towards New Cross, where the A20 breaks away. The A2 continues east through Deptford and Blackheath until it arrives at the Shooter's Hill Interchange with the A102 near Greenwich. A section of the Roman road has been identified running through Greenwich Park on an alignment with Vanbrugh Park. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Blackheath is a suburb of London, divided between the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Greenwich. ... The Borough or Southwark is an area of the London Borough of Southwark situated 1. ... The A3 is a trunk road in Southern England, connecting London to Portsmouth. ... The white-on-red C marks all entrances to the congestion charge zone although in some areas the charge zone is poorly signed, and accidental journeys into the zone can occur The London congestion charge is a fee for some motorists entering the Central London area. ... The London Inner Ring Road is the name commonly given to a collection of major roads that encircle the centremost part of London, United Kingdom. ... Old Kent Road is a road in south London. ... New Cross is a district on the north tip of the London Borough of Lewisham. ... The A20 is a two-digit major road in south-east England, carrying traffic from London to Dover in Kent. ... Deptford is an area in the London Borough of Lewisham and London Borough of Greenwich, on the south bank of the River Thames in south-east London. ... Blackheath is a suburb of London, divided between the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Greenwich. ... Shooters Hill is a place in the London Borough of Greenwich in south-east London. ... Greenwich is a town, now part of the south eastern urban sprawl of London, England, on the south bank of the River Thames in the London Borough of Greenwich. ...

Shooter's Hill to Three Crutches

At Shooter's Hill, Watling Street and the A2 part company, as Watling Street continues along the A207. At this point the A2 joins a dual carriageway, the Rochester Way (the carriageways to the north of this junction being the A102) with a 50 mph (80 km/h) limit. The western part, the Rochester Way Relief Road, was constructed in the 1980s. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... This early German Autobahn uses a dual carriageway design. ...

The A2 meets traffic lights at Kidbrooke, but this is the last set out of London however the lights only affect right-turns, and then shortly after here the A2 meets the South Circular Road and becomes a motorway in all but name, with 3 lanes and a hard shoulder in each direction. The 3 lane stretch of the A2 between Falconwood and Cobham was built in stages from around 1963 until 1973. The left hand lane is used for local traffic. At Falconwood, the road becomes the East Rochester Way - this point was once the westbound terminus of the dual carriageway. There are exits for Bexleyheath, Black Prince (at Bexley), Dartford Heath and other London suburbs. Motorists should also be aware of the numerous speed cameras along this stretch. Once the A2 enters Kent, the speed limit increases to the national speed limit (70 mph, 113 km/h) and the road heads east towards Dartford, bypassing the town to the south. The next junction links the road to the M25 London Orbital Motorway and the next (Bean Interchange) is for the B255 and A296 for Bluewater, where Watling Street rejoins the A2. The M25 interchange to Bean Interchange section is currently being widened to four lanes in each direction. Kidbrooke is a place in the London Borough of Greenwich. ... Motorway symbol in UK, France and Ireland. ... Falconwood is a suburban area to the west of, and part of, Welling in the London Borough of Bexley. ... Bexleyheath, formerly known as Bexley New Town, part of the London Borough of Bexley, consists of a suburban development located 12 miles (19. ... // Bexley is a place in south east London in the London Borough of Bexley. ... coat of Arms of Kent For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. ... The M25 motorway looking south between junctions 14 and 15, near Heathrow Airport. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Bluewater interior This article is about a shopping mall. ...

The A2 then bypasses Gravesend, becoming four lanes, before merging into the M2 at Three Crutches Interchange, near Strood. There are also M2 motorways in Northern Ireland and Australia The M2 motorway is a motorway in England. ...

This latter section, from the Pepper Hill Interchange to the Cobham junction is currently (2007 - 2009) undergoing extensive works to move the entire carriageway southwards to run alongside the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, so as to remove the road away from the housing. Cobham is a small village with a reputation for being still relatively unspoilt even today. ... CTRL redirects here. ...

Three Crutches to Brenley Corner

The A2 reverts to a non-primary single carriageway road at this point. The M2 now parts company to bypass the Medway Towns, while the A2 heads into them. It enters Strood before crossing the River Medway into Rochester. The A2 bypasses the old High Street, heading instead along Corporation Street alongside the railway lines. It crosses the old High Street, climbs Star Hill and heads east into Chatham where it meets the A230 and A231 by way of a one way ring road. The A2 heads to the south of Gillingham, where the A289 Medway Northern Bypass joins it. The A278 departs from the A2 to head south to meet the M2, whereas the A2 goes through Rainham and Newington before entering green country for the first time since Three Crutches. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1121x654, 88 KB) Summary Author: User:SilkTork. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1121x654, 88 KB) Summary Author: User:SilkTork. ... The River Medway in England flows for 112 km from Turners Hill, in West Sussex, through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, to the River Thames at Sheerness, where it is the latters last tributary. ... This article is about Medway in England. ... Statistics Population: 33182 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TQ725695 Administration District: Medway Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Kent Historic county: Kent Services Police force: Kent Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: South East Coast Post office and telephone Post town: ROCHESTER... The River Medway in England flows for 112 km from Turners Hill, in West Sussex, through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, to the River Thames at Sheerness, where it is the latters last tributary. ... Rochester is a small town in Kent, at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London. ... Chatham is an English town that developed around an important naval dockyard on the east bank of the River Medway to the east of London in the county of Kent. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Gillingham is a town in Kent, England, forming part of the Medway conurbation; it is a constituent of Medway unitary authority. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Rainham is a town in the Medway unitary authority in South East England. ... Newington is a village in Kent, England on the A2 road between Chatham to the west and Sittingbourne to the east. ...

The road meets the A249, now dualled, to the west of Sittingbourne, before going through the town itself (bypassing the now-pedestrianised High Street, as it does in Rochester and Chatham). Leaving Sittingbourne, the A2 continues east in almost a straight line, for it is still along the alignment of Watling Street at this point. It arrives at Faversham, but doesn't (and never has done) go through the town, preferring to almost bypass it to the south. A mile later, it arrives at Brenley Corner, junction 7 of the M2. The A249 at Danaway. ... Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles (12. ...

Brenley Corner to Dover Docks

At Brenley Corner, the A2 once again becomes a primary dual carriageway. Straight after the interchange, Dunkirk and Boughton are bypassed as the A2 continues towards Canterbury and Dover. Formerly it went through Canterbury city centre, this has now been bypassed and the original route is now called the A2050. It breaks off from the A2 at Harbledown - just after Gate Services - taking all Canterbury traffic with it. At Wincheap, the A28 meets the A2, although only westbound traffic can exit the A2 at this point. The A2050 rejoins the A2 at Bridge. Dunkirk is a village between Faversham and Canterbury in England Category: ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... Harbledown is a village to the west of Canterbury, Kent, now contiguous with the city and in effect a suburb. ... The A28 near Rolvenden The A28 is a major road in England. ... Bridge is a village and civil parish near Canterbury in Kent, South East England. ...

Traffic for the Channel Tunnel and Folkestone leaves at the junction with the A260, and shortly after this junction the A2 loses its dual carriageway status, regains it, and loses it again within a few miles. Now single carriageway, the A2 forms the Dover bypass. It meets the A256 for Sandwich and Ramsgate at a briefly-dualled section, before reverting to single carriageway for the final time. The A2 breaks through the cliffs above Dover Docks before turning 180 degrees and "touching down" on land again at the entrance to the Eastern Docks, where both it and the A20 terminate. Map of the Channel Tunnel. ... Folkestone Harbour, picture taken from the golf court Folkestone (IPA: ) is a coastal resort town in the Shepway district of Kent, England. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames and east of the A3. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Ramsgate is an English seaside town on the Isle of Thanet in East Kent. ... The A20 is a two-digit major road in south-east England, carrying traffic from London to Dover in Kent. ...

Improvements between Cobham to Pepperhill

Extensive improvements are currently being made to the A2 between Cobham and Pepperhill.

Contents

History of the route

The route today

Borough to Shooter's Hill

Shooter's Hill to Three Crutches

Three Crutches to Brenley Corner

Brenley Corner to Dover Docks

Improvements between Cobham to Pepperhill

See also

External links

Contents

History of the route GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

The route today

Borough to Shooter's Hill

Shooter's Hill to Three Crutches

Three Crutches to Brenley Corner

Brenley Corner to Dover Docks

Improvements between Cobham to Pepperhill

See also

External links

History of the route