unfinished business

Over the years, there have been many plans for road schemes large and grand. Whilst many are built, a lot get stopped part way through, or never see the light of day. Yet, in preparedness of these schemes, earth mounds are formed, carriageways use temporary alignments and bridges are built.

However, with cancellation of schemes, it leaves odd layouts and unused bits of tarmac dotted around the place. And the occasional "ski jump" where sections of incomplete flyovers are constructed.

Below is a list of places where evidence of unbuilt roads can be found. If any are missing, please get in touch and we'll update the page accordingly!

M1 (Junction 1)
Brent Cross, London
Earth mounds were built to allow for a flyover across the junction as part of the Ringways proposal - the M1 would have travelled south to end on Ringway 1. One of the mounds has since been used to provide a free flow link from the A406 onto the M1.

M1 (Junction 3)
Scratchwood Services, London
A roundabout was built for a possible link to the A41. The link was never built, and part of the junction was used to form an access point for the service area.

M8 (Junction 17)
Glasgow
Unused westbound exit slip road to the east of the junction, complete with a bridge carrying the eastbound carriageway over it. There is also a space on the overbridge to the west of the junction, providing a space for an entry merge.

M8 (Junction 20)
Glasgow
Wide central reserve shows where a free-flow junction would be built onto the southern side of the "Glasgow Box" motorway. An unused elevated strip of road exists just off the motorway to the east of the junction, showing where the motorway would have headed.

M11 (Junction 4)
Woodford, London
Wide central reservation and flyovers, lots of hatched markings and bridges over nothing show that the motorway should have extended further into London, and provided space for the proposed M12 towards Chelmsford.

M23 (Junction 7)
Hooley, Surrey
Two unused bridges where the motorway should have continued northwards into South London.

M53
Hooton, Merseyside
The northbound carriageway takes an odd alignment and a sharp turn, as the M53 should have continued southwards towards Dunkirk, with the existing motorway retaining its original designation of M531.

M57 (Junction 7)
Aintree, Merseyside
Flared carriageways were built to allow construction of an extension of the motorway over to the A565 near Crosby.

M58
Aintree, Merseyside
Extremely flared carriageways show that the motorway should have continued westward over to the docks at Bootle.

M58 (Junction 5)
Up Holland, Lancashire
Missing free-flowing slip road from the eastbound carriageway onto the northbound A577; instead traffic has to use the existing eastbound exit and loop round the half-dumbbell.

M58 (Junction 6)
Orrell, Greater Manchester
Flared carriageways at the Orrell Interchange show where the M58 should have continued eastwards to the M61, as part of the "Route 225" proposal. Instead, we have to make do with a rubbish little link onto a congested A577.

M60 (Junction 25)
Bredbury, Greater Manchester
Extremely wide central reserve just north of Junction 25 shows where the motorway should have continued southwards as the A6(M) around the south of Stockport. Blank gantry sign panels also give this away.

M65 (Junction 1a)
Preston, Lancashire
Flared carriageways, built in case the M55 is extended westwards around Preston to the M55 at the missing "Junction 2" - the proposed extension was abandoned with the widening of the M6 east of Preston, but may possibly be back on the cards.

M67 (Junction 1)
Denton, Greater Manchester
Flared carriageways at Denton Island show that the motorway was planned to head westwards into Manchester as part of the Manchester to Sheffield motorway.

M67 (Junction 4)
Hattersley, Greater Manchester
Flared carriageways and a massive roundabout show the motorway should have continued eastwards, as part of the above-mentioned Trans-Pennine motorway route.

M69
Enderby, Leicestershire
A wide separation of the carriageways close to the M1 junction show where free-flow slip roads were proposed, taking traffic on and off the northern M1. New proposals meant that the space may soon be used.

A14
Felixstowe, Suffolk
Flared carriageways and earth mounds show that there were plans for a flyover to be built onto the A154 towards the centre of Felixstowe.

A27
Arundel, West Sussex
The dual carriageway abruptly ends at an unfinished grade separated junction, with the line of the road partially built beneath the junction ready for its westward extension as part of the Arundel Bypass.

A35
Tolpuddle, Dorset
There is a short section of unused carriageway at the western end of the Tolpuddle Bypass, where the carriageways merge. Looks like future-proofing for a future extension of the dual carriageway.

A47
Dereham, Norfolk
Several double-span bridges were built ready for a possible future dualling project.

A47
Kings Lynn, Norfolk
There are flared carriageways and unused earth mounds at the western end of the King's Lynn Bypass, built for future grade separation of the junctions. A similar situation existed at the eastern end, but those mounds were used when the junction was recently improved.

A57(M)
Manchester
Slip road stump on the elevated section shows where a slip road was meant to be located, until planners realised it would send traffic the wrong way down a one-way street.

A58
Chequerbent, Greater Manchester
Flared carriageways at the A6 roundabout, built ready for a dual carriageway link down to Leigh and Warrington.

A59
Clitheroe, Lancashire
Several double-span bridges were built ready for a possible future dualling project.

A65
Burley-in-Wharfedale, West Yorkshire
There is a short section of unused carriageway at the western end of the Burley-in-Wharfedale Bypass, where the carriageways merge. Looks like future-proofing for a future extension of the dual carriageway.

A69
Hexham, Northumberland
A fluted raised roundabout junction was built at the A695 junction, with space for underpass.

A69
Styford, Northumberland
At the roundabout junction with A68 southbound, the carriageways flare and earth mounds are present, ready for a flyover to be built above the junction.

A133
Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
North of Clacton, three double-span bridges were built ready for a future dualling project. Some wide grass strips at the sides of the road have been left too, also hinting at this.

A3290
Reading, Berkshire
Dual carriageway just to the north of the A4/A3290 roundabout slams abruptly into an at-grade roundabout, hinting that the road should have continued northwards across the River Thames.

A444
Coventry, West Midlands
Flared carriageways and unused earth mounds show that the A444 was meant to travel over the top of the roundabout where the road crosses the M6 at Junction 3.

A465
Heads of the Valleys Road, South Wales
Several cases of grade separation just waiting to be built along the entire road, with plenty of earth mounds, huge roundabouts and flared carriageways. Most of these will be utilised as the road is gradually dualled in stages.

A533
Runcorn, Cheshire
A huge roundabout and flared carriageways that cry out for grade separation; look like a free-flow link could have been built onto the M56 at a possible Junction 11A.

A555
Handforth, Greater Manchester
Space has been reserved at the temporary terminus (at the B5358 junction), ready for the westward extension to Manchester Airport to be constructed.

A823(M)
Dunfermline, Fife
Flared carriageways at the western end, and a hugely over-engineered interchange at the M90 hint at the motorway's fuller potential, as it was planned to run from the Kincardine Bridge through the middle of the M90 junction and over towards Kirkcaldy, as part of a Fife Regional Road.

A1134
Cambridge
An empty strip of land has been left, which was allocated for the planned route of the Ring Road, before the route was changed to its current course.

A5209
Shevington Moor, Wigan
Fluted carriageways close to the M6 Junction 27, built ready for construction of a dual carriageway link road from the M6 into the north of Wigan.

Unclassified Road
Stansted Airport Approach Road
A combination of of fluted carriageways and a large at-grade roundabout clearly shows that an underpass was planned to head underneath. Just to the south-west of the junction are two short stumps of tarmac, proving this was to be the case.

Based on a list originally compiled by Paul Berry.