East Cross Route (ECR) was the designation for the eastern section of Ringway 1, the innermost circuit of the London Ringways network, a complex and comprehensive plan for a network of high speed roads circling and radiating out from central London designed to manage and control the flow of traffic within the capital. The London Ringways were a series of four ring roads planned in the 1960s to circle London at various distances from the city centre. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. ...

The ECR was constructed in the late 1960s and early 1970s and runs from Hackney Wick in north-east London, through the Blackwall Tunnel, to Kidbrooke in south-east London. The ECR was initially designated as part of the A102 but has, subsequently, been partially renumbered so that sections of it are now the A2 and A12. Parts of the route, at the northern end between Hackney Wick and Old Ford and south of the river between the Blackwall Tunnel and the Sun-in-the-Sands interchange, were previously classified as urban motorways and given the designation A102(M). The status was downgraded to a standard A-road in 2000 when responsibility for trunk roads in Greater London was transferred from the Highways Agency to the Greater London Authority. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The Lee Navigation at Hackney Wick from the Eastway bridge, August 2005. ... The Blackwall Tunnel is the name given to a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, linking the London Borough of Greenwich with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ... Kidbrooke is a place in the London Borough of Greenwich. ... For the expressway in Switzerland, see A2 (Switzerland). ... The A12 road is also a road in Belgium: Brussels-Boom-Antwerp The A12 is a major road in England, a trunk road for most of its length, running from London to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. ... Old Ford is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and traditionally considered part of Bow The North London Railway had a line through the area with a station at Old Ford. ... Great Britain has many ancient roads and trackways dating back not only to the Roman occupation of southern Britain but to much earlier times, including the oldest engineered road to be discovered anywhere in the world: the Sweet Track dating from the 3800s BC. With the advent of the motor... This article is about the year 2000. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Greater London is the top level administrative subdivision covering London and forms one of the nine regions of England. ... The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport, in the United Kingdom. ... For more coverage on London, see the London Portal. ...

The route included the construction of the northern of the two bores of the Blackwall Tunnel and its Northern and Southern Approach roads as well as part of what is now the Rochester Way Relief Road. The construction work required to pass a six-lane dual carriageway with grade separated junctions through the congested streets of east London was considerable. This early German Autobahn uses a dual carriageway design. ... An example of a four-level stack interchange in the Netherlands. ...

Route

At its northern end, the ECR (A12) follows part of the former route of the closed North London Railway between Victoria Park and Old Ford stations which were demolished for the road's construction. The open section of the North London Line to Stratford station was partially diverted to enable the construction of the junction with the non-dual carriageway section of the A102 and the A106 and A115 roads, above which the line passes. Originally called the East & West India Docks & Birmingham Junction Railway and opened between 1850 and 1852, the railway linked the docks at Blackwall to Camden Town. ... Victoria Park railway station was a former railway station near Victoria Park, London. ... Old Ford railway station was a former railway station in Old Ford, north of Bow, London. ... The North London Line is a railway line through northern London. ... Stratford station is a London Underground and National Rail station at Stratford. ...

At Bow Road, the junction with the A11 involves a triple-layer junction. The ECR passes through in a cutting below an interchange roundabout whilst the A11 passes above on a flyover. South of this junction, the ECR passes Bromley-by-Bow station and skirts the River Lee Navigation for a short distance as it follows the line of the former St Leonard Street. It then crosses Limehouse Cut and continues along what was Brunswick Road to East India Dock Road (A13). It passes under the A13 in another grade separated junction, becoming the A102, and then enters the Blackwall tunnel. The A11 is a major road in England. ... Overpass in East Potomac Park, Washington, D.C. Flyover in Miami Beach, Florida An overpass (In UK, most Commonwealth countries flyover) is a bridge, road or similar structure that crosses over another road. ... Bromley by Bow Station is a London Underground station on the District and Hammersmith and City lines, located in Bromley by Bow. ... Old Ford Lock, Lee Navigation The River Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating - as the name suggests - the River Lee (also known as the River Lea). ... Looking North East along the Limehouse Cut The Limehouse Cut is a canal in the East End of London. ... The A13 is a trunk road in England linking the City of London with East London and south Essex. ...

South of the River Thames, the ECR (A102) skirts Tunnel Avenue and flys over Blackwall Lane (A2203) and Woolwich Road (A206) before climbing the hill towards the Sun-in-the-Sands interchange where it passes under Shooters Hill Road (A2/A207) and becomes the Rochester Way Relief Road (A2). It squeezes through the tight space between Rochester Way (the old A2 route) and Woolacombe Road before it ends at the Kidbrooke interchange where it connects to Kidbrooke Park Road (A2213) or continues as the later section of the Rochester Way Relief Road built in the 1980s. The Thames (pronounced []) is a river flowing through southern England and connecting London with the sea. ... For the expressway in Switzerland, see A2 (Switzerland). ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive, informally sometimes including the years 1979, 1990 and 1991. ...

Context

See London Ringways for a detailed history

The ECR and the other roads planned in the 1960s for central London had developed from early schemes prior to the Second World War through Sir Patrick Abercrombie's County of London Plan, 1943 and Greater London Plan, 1944 to a 1960s Greater London Council (GLC) scheme that would have involved the construction of many miles of motorway standard roads across the city and demolition on a massive scale. Due to the huge construction costs and widespread public opposition, most of the scheme was cancelled in 1973 and the ECR and the West Cross Route and Westway in west London were the only significant parts to be built. The London Ringways were a series of four ring roads planned in the 1960s to circle London at various distances from the city centre. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Categories: People stubs | 1879 births | 1957 deaths | British architects ... The County of London Plan was prepared for the London County Council by J. H. Forshaw and Patrick Abercrombie in 1943. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Arms of the Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The West Cross Route is a short, 0. ... For other uses of Westway, see Westway Westway, or The Westway is the main route from central London to the northwestern suburbs and beyond. ...

At the northern end of the ECR, the unrealised plans would have seen it connect at Hackney Wick to the unbuilt North Cross Route (running west across north London), the M11 motorway (which was originally planned to continue south from its current starting point at the North Circular Road (A406) in South Woodford). Part of this plan was eventually achieved in a modified form when, in the 1990s the extension of the A12 was constructed through Leyton, Leytonstone and Wanstead to connect to the ECR at Hackney Wick. The A12 extension required just the sort of controversial construction methods and widescale demolitions of residential areas that caused the 1960s schemes to be cancelled. After the new road was built, the northern part of the ECR became the A12. This page is about the M11 motorway in England. ... The A406 or the North Circular Road is a trunk-road linking west and east London going via North London. ... The A406 or the North Circular Road is a trunk-road linking west and east London going via North London. ... South Woodford is a place in the London Borough of Redbridge. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... The A12 road is also a road in Belgium: Brussels-Boom-Antwerp The A12 is a major road in England, a trunk road for most of its length, running from London to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. ... Leyton is a town in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. ... Leytonstone is a place within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. ... Wanstead is a place in the London Borough of Redbridge. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ...

Incoming traffic from the M11 would have been able to continue south-west through the Hackney Wick junction on an unbuilt motorway standard road which would have headed to The Angel, Islington where it would have met the A1 and the Inner Ring Road. This motorway would have followed one of two alternate routes; either along the north side of Victoria Park and then the alignment of the Regent's Canal or, more destructively, across the western tip of Victora Park and along Hackney Road to the north of Bethnal Green, across Hoxton and then to the Angel via City Road.

When the North Cross Route plan was published in February 1967 this road was given the cumbersome title "Eastern Avenue Extension" but it is probable that this road would have been named "Eastway" to form a pair with the Westway which performs a similar function from Paddington to North Kensington and, in fact, a short section of road adjacent to the ECR north of the Hackney Wick junction does bear this name today.

At the southern end of the ECR, the plan was to connect it at Kidbrooke to the South Cross Route (running west across south London), the A2 (heading east out of London) and the A20 (heading south-east out of London). In fact, a new dual carriageway section of the A2 was constructed through Eltham to meet the ECR at Kidbrook in the 1980s providing an efficient route out of London in this direction and the A20 passes only about 0.5 miles to the south although it does not connect directly to the ECR and it was never upgraded to the motorway standard road that was intended. The current building, with its distinctive cupola. ... Islington is an inner-city district in north London. ... Also known as the Great North Road. ... 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. ... The Bathing Pond in Victoria Park. ... The Regents Canal is a canal across an area just to the north of central London. ... Bethnal Green is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the heart of Londons East End. ... Hoxton Square. ... City Road is a road in central London, usually referred to by Londoners as the City Road. At its western extremity it starts at the Angel, Islington, as the continuation of Pentonville Road and continues roughly south-east till it passes Moorfields Eye Hospital, when it bears closer to south... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Paddington is an area in the west of London in the City of Westminster. ... North Kensington is an area of west London lying north of Notting Hill and south of Kensal Green. ... The A20 is a two-digit major road in south-east England, carrying traffic from London to Dover in Kent. ... Eltham, London, England Eltham, New Zealand, Taranaki, New Zealand Eltham, Victoria, Australia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive, informally sometimes including the years 1979, 1990 and 1991. ...

Without the construction of the other parts of the 1960s motorway plans the context of the ECR has been lost in the subsequent road renumbering and the only section of the East Cross Route which continues to carry the name is the former northern motorway section of the route in Hackney Wick. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ...

Plan of the London Motorway Box scheme from mid 1960s showing the East Cross Route

External links

• CBRD.co.uk East Cross Route
• Pathetic Motorways
  • Photos A102(M), Hackney Wick to Old Ford
  • Photos A102(M), Blackwall Tunnel Southern Approach
• Motorway Archive
  • A102(M) Hackney Wick
  • A102(M) Blackwall Tunnel Southern Approach

	Motorways in the United Kingdom
Great Britain: M1 • M2 • M3 • M4 • M5 • M6 • M6 Toll • M8 • M9 • M10 • M11 • M18 • M20 • M23 • M25 • M26 • M27 • M32 • M40 • M42 • M45 • M48 • M49 • M50 • M53 • M54 • M55 • M56 • M57 • M58 • M60 • M61 • M62 • M65 • M66 • M67 • M69 • M73 • M74 • M77 • M80 • M90 • M180 • M271 • M275 • M602 • M606 • M621 • M876 • M898
A1(M) • A3(M) • A38(M) • A48(M) • A57(M) • A58(M) A64(M) • A66(M) • A74(M) • A167(M) • A194(M) • A308(M) • A329(M) • A404(M) • A601(M) • A627(M) • A823(M)
	Northern Ireland: M1 • M2 • M3 • M5 • M12 • M22 • A8(M)	edit
Past: M41 • M63 • A18(M) • A40(M) • A41(M) • A102(M) • A6144(M)    Unbuilt: M12 • M15 • M64    Future: M4 Toll