The Mystery ABANDONED UNDERPASS - A602 Stevenage Hertfordshire
Vložit
- čas přidán 12. 03. 2024
- #infrastructure #roads #abandoned #stevenage #hertfordshire
Buy us a coffee - paypal.me/autoshenanigans
Find us on:
Twitter - @JonShenanigans
Facebook - Auto Shenanigans
For years I've driven past this unused, seeminly abandoned bit of road and being the curious type I wanted to find out why it existed. The problem is, no one seems to know for sure. There's a few ideas and theories but nothing to confirm any of it. I hope by showing you guys, someone might be able to confirm either way what the situation is. If not, enjoy a look at some abandoned road infrastructure. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
A pointless video about a pointless underpass, just my cup of tea. Thanks Jon.
Life is pointless, so Jon is actually making a pretty decent job of dealing with it. ;-)
Glad you got the drone working again!
He was using it for the inside shots.
I grew up in the town and lived there from the mid 70s until 2008.
The roundabout to nowhere was supposed to lead to a route called Road 9 in the original 1948 plan for the town. This would have gone straight across the fairground / grassland where you now have a turning to a car park. This would then continue across Six Hills Way and go straight through Fairlands Valley which to meet up with Fairlands Way. The locals didn't like the idea so it was cancelled in the early 60s and zoned for recreation instead. In 1972 they built the two large artificial lakes on the area between Six Hills Way and Fairlands Way instead, creating Fairlands Valley Park, and the green field with the parking area which was Fairlands Valley Fair Ground (or the learner driver car park, where absolutely everyone did their first bit of clutch control until the early 2000s when the police decided it wasn't a good idea). None of this would have been a dual carriageway, but a standard two lane road (at least initially, most of the Stevenage main roads were originally built as two lane with a very wide verge to allow for dualing, some of which were dualled later, some of which still just have a huge verge).
The roundabout to nowhere remained as a full roundabout, albeit with give way signs because no one ever used it unless they'd gone the wrong way at the previous roundabout, until the late 90s. I seem to remember an accident there followed by resurfacing shut it for good. The underpass was used in the 80s and 90s for parking on Saturdays when Stevenage Boro FC had a match that attracted a crowd (which was at best sometimes).
The other exit from the Monkswood Way roundabout in the video is the original exit position planned for Monkswood Way which was planned to run around 75 meters east of it's current location, the only remains of which are a very strange kink in the road on one of the housing estates where very early aerial photos show a stub of dual that wasn't ever extended (they actually built houses across the ends of it and turned the stub into a very strange wiggly roundabout.)
I thought it was road 11.
also have you seen the worlds shortest dual carriage way that never was on Elder Way ( on google maps 51.89557686438774, -0.19493838013872397) ?
The dual carriage way past Asda and Stevenage college wasnt going to be where it ended up.
Thanks for sharing, I'm always fascinated by people's personal histories with places. Stevenage has had a rough reputation for my entire life, but I'm wondering in your experience did it have the same rep back in the 70's and 80's?
Whereabouts is that stub ? I'll go and have a look tomorrow.
Thx for your detailed info.- really interesting. Might that strange wiggly bit be where Elder Way and Rockingham Way meet?
@@garyh1572 I mapped it: see my comment below...
I lived in Stevenage for 45 years 😱. My understanding was that a road was going to be built across Fairlands park from the “not a roundabout” but it was decided to keep it as a park leading to the Fairlands lakes. I agree the disused section underneath would have been a cycleway. As you noted it’s the same design as many others built at the same time in the late 50’s and that route would lead directly to the main industrial area where lots of residents worked. A lot of residents cycled and walked to work, not a lot of car ownership then, apparently when Stevenage was designed it was thought there would be 1 car for every 3 houses 😆
One car for every three houses? That explains a lot about the parking where I live. Damn that economic progress making cars affordable for everyone!
@@DavidCowie2022 yep, I reckon it’s about 3 cars per house now!
@@DavidCowie2022 Yeah, the block of 48 flats were I live was built during the small disagreement and was supposed to have a few parking garages behind it, but this was soon canceled in favor of less than 10 curbside spots . More recently a similar number of spots in the back yard had to be added .
yep the early lot of houses were allocated 1 car for every 3 houses.
just look at the garage sections in roads like Peartree way, Leaves spring Rockingham way etc.
all small garage sections for 1 car to every 3 houses
The cycle track underneath the non round-a-bout WAS the original road before it was a dual carriage way
Glad to see you survived your visit to St Evenage, not many outsiders do these days.
That made me chuckle... I thought I was the only person who referred to it as St. Evenage. (Ex Alleynes old boy for reference)
@@stephenwoodrow1334 no quite a lot of people do, including some who still live there.
Must be a big, small disagreement of 1939 - 1945, for it to pop up every video
Just a wee disagreement, barely an inconvenience
Just a coincidence. Besides, it was just some urban renewal stuff. Nothing serious.
He forgets he said it last time, we don't mention it as Jon can be a bit, You Know!!!
I prefer small big disagreements
They couldn't agree about whether the disagreement should get mentioned in every video hence why it went on for so long 🤣
If you want the answer, read 'Hidden Stevenage', by Eric Claxton or 'First New Town' by Jack Blachin. Long story short; the road up fairlands valley was planned to come off that roundabout, but was decided against as the traffic figures showed it wasn't needed and the park is much nicer.
Hailing from Brighton, that unused underpass in Stevo has bothered me for decades so am extremely grateful to you for finally putting me at my ease. Phew.
Hi Jon, That was a roundabout now it's about, take care mate
I like this video so I’ve pressed the button specifically for that👉🏻
Thanks for reminding me about the button specifically for that. The lazy sod up top forgot to do it this week.
@@kgbgb3663 I think the reminder about the specific button for that is saved for best on the Sunday episodes. Fear not though I will continue to remind everyone about the button specifically for that in the comments that are specifically for reminding people about the specific button for that😂
@@adamjolley8552 😊👍👍
Me too.😈
Is there a button specifically for that?
I am from Stevenage and currently live in Stevenage too and I have always been curious each time I drive past this small abandoned section of road, thank you for doing a video here and I hope you enjoyed your visit to Stevenage.
I lived there in the 60's 70's, 80's that roundabout was alway just used as a roundabout, but it did cause some chaos so obviously it was closed off. And the road way under the bridges was indeed a cycle path, but used by punks for glue sniffing so wasnt used by cyclists, Now I remember it was used for the football stadium, the car park was north of the road. So on match days it was used. At the time Stevenage had no traffic lights, and everything was roundabouts at junctions.
Just like every other cycle path in the country then?
yep evostik suffered a loss of profits when they changed the law🤣🤣@@phillwainewright4221
Malmö, Sweden has a similar roundabout with a dual carriageway running under it and an A-road quad carriageway on top . It's the intersection of E6.01 and E22.10
I learnt to drive in Stevenage in 1986-7 so that when I passed my test I was an old hand at roundabouts and a novice at traffic lights. The test examiners made you drive around the Old Town which was a little more challenging than the New Town.
@@trickygoose2 I was from Hertford and when it came to the driving test it was if you like him starts and hate roundabouts take a test at Bishops Stortford, if you are ok with roundabouts go to Stevenage
We do love a “not a roundabout”! 😂
I lived there and I couldn't see its need. The dual carriageway got ditched in favour of Fairlands Country Park which is actually a pleasant feature in a concrete wilderness.
Interesting how Stevenage has changed, the original plan having housing to the East of the Railway line and industrial to the West up to and stopping at the natural barrier of the A1(M).
There’s now plenty of housing in that Industrial area and houses now starting to be built to the West of the A1.
Used to work at The Pear Tree in Stevenage many years ago, I remember seeing school kids and cyclists using that a abandoned bit. Glad you solved the mystery , in a roundabout kind of way!
Blimey that was short Jon. Oh, wait, Stevenage. Crikey that took a while.
Nice to see your drone fixed 😅
03:07 That Give way triangle is deffo not standard on UK roundabouts and suggests that the local Highways dept were already having second thoughts before it was cut off, not necessarily, in its prime.
You can have circulatory carriageways in which the right of way is given to mainline traffic but they're pretty rare.
I grew up and lived there from the early 60s to late 80s, and there were numerous accidents on that 'roundabout' - at least one of them fatal - due to motorists not understanding the right of way.
Reminds me of Bogside Roundabout on the A73 between Carluke and Wishaw, Lanarkshire. It used to have a similar layout, with the southbound carriageway having a straight run, and the northbound having a deflection, leaving a slightly flattened roundabout type design in the middle. It also had had “give way” markings, giving priority to the left. When the A73 was a Trunk Route, it probably made sense to give traffic on that route priority, but as its importance faded with construction of the M73 and M74, it probably didn’t make sense to maintain a non standard layout, and it was altered to the standard roundabout we have today. A Quick Look at Google shows where the deflections were added to the Southbound carriageway to make it into a proper roundabout.
maps.app.goo.gl/W7bhX74i19VEq1vo7?g_st=ic
Can you imagine a car only underpass? There’s a low bridge near me that bears the scars of all the overheight vehicles that took a chance.
There is a bridge by Ely station with a 9-foot restriction to allow cars to bypass needing to wait at the level crossing. Together thy were part of the A142, but a bypass opened about five years ago to allow the level crossing to be closed, but bridge is till open for local traffic. And there is a bridge in Norbury in south London that is 8''6" with a 6'6" width restricted single lane to pass under the railway. And there are definitely lower ones that those, I cannot remember where but I once went under one on a motorcycle that was 6"-something. Which was a wee bit scary when sitting upright is only a few inches more than standing height. Thankfully I am only 5'8"!
A freeway I used to frequent has a car only underpass connecting a roundabout to an onramp, and a larger car only underpass elsewhere carrying the entire freeway under a busy intersection .
Goodness... tall car buzzsaw..
Come to think of it, St. Evanage does have a vehicle-only underpass half way along Gunnels Wood Road. Taken at speed, one can get air (or worst still, spew your lunch over the car seats lol).
@@Rebecka_J Near where I was born in Newport there was a car-only bridge under the South Wales main railway line. I can't remember what the height restriction was, (6'6" at a guess) and can't see it on Google Streetview as the restriction sign was taken down when they put up bollards to stop four-wheel traffic going through. That might have been a mistake -- I reckon a tall guy on a bike might hit his head if he stood on the pedals to get some oomph. It looks like it's about 32 layers of early Victorian GWR engineering bricks high, if anyone knows how big those are and wants to do the calculation.
Soho Street, Newport, if anyone wants to look. (I originally left the "k" off "look", which might have been a Freudian slip.)
P.S. And no, I don't think it was one-way! But you might have been a bit unpopular if you were going the wrong way when the shift was changing at the cable factory nearby.
I moved from the area years ago but never forgot the strange, unused underpass. Now you've cleared up a mystery and I'm extremely happy. Thank you John!
You should do a video series dedicated just to the story of the new towns, I’ve been interested in it since I first heard you mention it a couple years back but there’s not really any good videos on the subject
You should do a series on the new towns. Growing up in Redditch (unfortunately) my dad fed me bits of info on what that towns plan should have looked like and it does sound like a missed opportunity mostly down to some dodgy politics and under investment.
The roundabout had changed priorities in the early 90s to try to improve flow at rush hour, but round about 1997 when I passed my test it became closed permanently. I remember driving it and it being open for a very short time, then being permanently closed.
Traffic does flow much better at rush hour now.
This is the best video I've ever seen about anything
That underpass was indeed part of the cycle network. I cycled under it many times in the 1980s. It's really deteriorated since then.
as a child, i remember an underpass at fairlands valley park, stevenage. the underpass is still there, but the sides have been filled in. so now, it just looks like a regular road
You can still see part of it !!
@@garyh1572 is this along the road going down to the cafe/boat yard?
@@whyyoulidl Yes, it goes under that road. It's in the woods as you turn off the main road.
My childhood bedroom furniture was purchased from Stevenage MFI 👍
Wasn't all of it or do it all?
Love all the videos. The little spur was part of a proposed road known as Road 9 that would have run through Fairlands Vally. First proposed in 1946 but was eventually deleted after loads of objections in subsequent master plans
Ok lets fill in the blanks.
That bit of road that goes underneath the round-a-bout WAS the original road before the dual carriage way went in.
There is an old video of stevenage here on youtube named 'STEVENAGE 1962 - The Town Centre' that shows a bus coming from the next round-a-bout (to the right of this round-a-bout) coming towards where this roundabaout would be. you can clearly see this is a non dual carriage way road. check out the time at 1:14 in that video.
I suspect the origianl road was just going to be turned into a cycle track.
at 1:50 in this video you reference an unbuilt dual carriage way. This is named Road 11.
It was unbuilt after a huge backlash from people regarding the wooded area getting damaged by the road building. so ......
this weird non round-a-bout was made and the Road 11 was to go from this up through the grassed area instead up to 'fairlands way'.
There was another huge backlash to this and we end up with what we have today.
Ironically if Road 11 WAS built, Peartree way (to the right) wouldnt have turned into the rat run we have today.
I have never seen it being used as a round-a-bout but I have seen it used numerous times by the rozzers for pulling people over and doing spot checks..
at 3:42 the cover to your left John is an access hatch for the culvert that runs from right to left in this video. It's mostly dry but does run down the side of the football ground and joins the steveneage brook just after the football ground.
why do I mention this, well it governs the height of the road way there. it cant go any deeper.
Hey William without any friends; thx for that response. Being a former St. Evanager, I never knew this, though I do remember cars being parked there for football matches back in the conference days. Will go take a look at that vid you mentioned. Cheers.
Can you post a link to that video. Since there is more than one with that name. I've watched the one I'm sure you are talking about. But I can't place that roundabout in the footage of it.
@@jean-lucpicard5510 CZcams wont let me post a link. however search on youtube for 'STEVENAGE 1962 - The Town Centre' and go to 1 min 14 seconds. you will see the road (as a single carriage way) looking from the west to the east (where this non round-a-bout is). the road way IS this bit of cycle track running underneath the non round-a-bout seen in the above video.
Can’t believe you went to Stevenage and didn’t do a video on Six Hills Way?
Yes, I remember that not-about being a roundabout and I remember the MFI well. Bought my bedroom furniture there
Fantastic video, thanks Jon, I'd always wondered about that underpass as I'd passed it a couple of times.
For some reason I always strangely felt comfortable/at home in Stevenage despite never having actually lived there or knowing anyone from there. I did however used to spend a lot of time in Stevenage due to my old job as a trade-plate driver and only ever spent one very uncomfortable night there...
I was taking a small van to VMS van suppliers but didn't need to drop until the morning, I'd forgotten to book a hotel and didn't have enough money to book myself a hotel. I ended up parked in the van in Albert St by Letchmore Road. As I was freezing in the van, I could see a house in Victoria Close where from what I could see looked like a living room which looked warm and cozy. In comparison to the small cramped van I was in was like a fridge, my bottle of water went very cold and I couldn't sleep at all, it was so uncomfortable, cramped and cold. I think it turned me into a home-bod where I like to mainly be these days.
Lost and ghost roads... wickedsweetawesome!
Thanks John - interesting. As the Bard of Ayrshire wrote 'The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley' and he could have added, if he knew about it, especially in road planning and building.
1:59 I used to live on Meadow Way in Bedwell and I can see my old house from here. But to be fair, it's a satellite image of the town. Everyone that lived or lives in Stevenage can see their house from here.
Damn, that was a blast back when you mentioned MFI.
I worked in a school just down from there, recognised it immediately.
Either the drone wasn't dead or you bought a new one. Or, this was recorded prior to the drone's demise.
Whatever, glad to see you droning on! Sorry, couldn't resist it.
I drove past this yesterday and gave some consideration to WTF happened, thanks for confirming, cheers.
John - you finally did my request at last !!!!!!!!!! ( Yes, the roundabout was built for a road running straight up the valley, but then cancelled . Oh, and the underpass was for cars only ) .
I love the speedy credits at the end! 😁
Lived in that part of Stevenage December 1990 to March 1991. (In 1993 moved to Bracknell, which has a very similar layout to Stevenage New Town.)
What an upgrade!
I've been meaning to ask you to make a video about this abandoned underpass and roundabout for a while but now I don't need to, so thank you
The " unused "roundabout has never been used as far as I'm aware.
I remember the cycle routes being used, mainly during rush hours, in Stevenage.
3 seconds in, already feel more cheerful
Bracknell new town (1949) has cycle underpasses at roundabouts the same as the one you showed.
Unfortunately, at night those Bracknell ones have become crime spots to be avoided.
Just up the road in Luton is an unfinished overbridge on Park Viaduct which is probably 60 odd years old.Maybe one for the future John?
I travelled along the A602 occasionally during the late 1980s and 1990s. I vaguely remember it being an operational roundabout. Often wondered for a few seconds about its purpose whenever I drove by / around. Cheers!
My home town, driven past this 1000s of times and often wondered why it was abandoned. A planned cycle lane makes the most sense as it exactly matches the design of all the others in the town.
I have also driven along this stretch of Broadhall Way thousands of times since 1983 but in that time there has always a proper cycle path on the same side as the football ground, which crosses over to the other side of Broadhall Way at the next roundabout. Therefore the theory that this was originally a road seems to make more sense and then became surplus to requirements when they made Broadhall Way a dual carriageway and were planning to build the road across Fairlands Park.
I have a couple of books on the history of Stevenage I must bring down from the loft and read again.
Always fantastic! 🛣️
I used to do agency driving for MFI..they had DAF 95's. Main depot was in Northampton (since closed, demolished and rebuilt as 4 warehouse units). Once on a Boxing Day (so not much traffic about) did Northampton to Carlisle store and back in a day and legally!!
In the mid 1980's they closed off cut-throughs like this. There were several along Fairlands way, the road leading up to the Grace way roundabout intersection. I guess they were to ease traffic at the roundabouts but minor accidents were a common occurrence and highways decided to block them off and i believe this was part of that closure scheme.
All these ghost roads, built and forgotten bits of infrastructure, i love it. Its like talking about concorde in a way, it seems like a fictional dream, than reality
Why does it look like there is a lay by in the cycle path that never was . I lived in Stevenage for 28 years and visit very often and have always wondered why it was just left like it is
Another fun video. Thanks!
Nice one mate, thanks a lot
Surprised at the lack of street art at that spot. MFI, Texas Home Store, Top That.
must have been one of the weeks of right after the touch up...
I think it'd make a nice canal. Or at least a linear duck pond
I drove ‘around’ this two weeks ago and wondered what the story behind it was. Now I know. Thank you!
Excellent, go past this every week, now I know. Stevenage is locally known as St Evenage.
It really isn't. A daft joke some people persist with, but it really isn't.
I had lived in Stevenage about 20 years before I heard someone from Surrey called my home town as St Evenage. I had never heard it called that before.
I lived in Stevenage for just a few months in the late '90s.
I assumed that these roads were the original roads through Stevenage and they just built the new dual carriageways around them.
I'm glad someone ended up doing a video on this stupid waste of roundabout! As someone who occasionally drives hgv's down that road, it's a right pain in the arse to have to slow down for this pointless bit of swerve round nothing. Clearly someone had some idea for a use, but England just isn't a cycle favourite place!
Popped to Stevenage for my first time on Tuesday to grab an exhaust from someone. I then went mushroom foraging in the forest opposite the retail park seen in this video and thought to myself what that underpass was for and was very impressed by the cycle path infrastructure in that town. And low and behold on the same week you've come and answered my question! Loving your videos recently.
Not sure if you can call it a "Road" but a definitely interesting video would be on the great waking / foulness island "broomway" it's a very interesting historic road for horse and cart, make sure to visit during low tide or you'll just be looking at the ocean!
I love the new roadtrip series, but find this sort of thing more interesting. Thanks John, keep up the good work
Saw you filming this the other day but you were busy do didn't say hi.
Great videos mate 👍
I used to pass this odd underpass all the time, and now i know wtf it was for, cheers.
Always I have wondered about why they blocked that roundabout off. Thanks!
This reminds me of the A68 and A69 (nice) junction. Clearly built ready to be the usual roundabout over a dual carriageway style junction, but never finished.
Good to know it's nice, not naughty. I'd been worried.
Hertfordshire County Council will know!
Great video on abandoned roads,,, keep up with the good content on the uk network,,,,,
Another wicked sweet awesome video. I live in Stevenage from '77 to '21 and can't remember that ever been open as a junction.
I often wonder about this bit of cycleway when I pass through Stevenage, glad I;m not the only one.
Great video Jon born and breed in stevenage next time your here drop me a line pop in for a coffee /cake !!!
I’ve often wondered about that underpass/roundabout when driving past, not enough to look into it but now this video has popped up and partially explained. Thanks
Cheers Jon, I pass through here once in a while and have often wondered about it coming to tbe same conclusion as you because of the height of the underpass and other subterranean routes in the area.
Haven’t been to a Stevenage in years until I drove past that on Sunday and thought it used to be the road. Now I know!!!
Interesting to see the original layout of the A1(M) junction in the map at 0’44” too
Got your drone working again , Jon! YAY
Got a replacement in the end.
Originally there was going to be a road going from the "not a roundabout" to Six Hills Way through the park. However residents fought against this plan. Now this is where my recollection gets fuzzy, can't remember if they argued that Valley Way already linked the a602 to Six Hills Way, Or Valley Way was built after the other road was cancelled.
Tonight I am drinking Newcastle Brow Ale.
Funny seeing a bit of disused road I've driven past without a single thought, literally thousands of time, given a pretty in-depth analysis to its purpose haha
great work as always thank you😁
Well that is a strange one!
Hey man , love it. How about a few other shows in the auto shenans stable ' new for old ' where roads are being replaced or upgraded ... and ' they made what here ? ' history of car making and the smaller companies that used to supply them.. ish
I've wondered about that, ever since I saw it the first time I parked at Fairlands Valley for the football. It's had to be fenced off now to stop kids and adults who should know better from trying to run across the dual carriageway from the football stadium to the car park, instead of using the underpass. I'm surprised no-one's tried to build something on it :)
I do wonder who Evenage was.
You have have the pair of saints, Albans and Evenage.
Do Milton Keynes and how they’ve RUINED the nice grid by building shops and weird road level pedestrian crap. Then how they threw away the housing design principles and plonked cheep shit as near to the roads as possible.
I'm feeling your pain 🙂
@@whyyoulidl I should stop beating around the bush and say what I think eh lol
I like to think the name Stevenage was nearly pipped by Howardage, Cliveage or Kevinage
Thanks
Thanks a lot mate, appreciate that!
Awesome video
From what I have heard, there was going to be a new road directly on the east side of the current football stadium. This road would have connected the B197 London Road, to the mystery roundabout. As I recall, that road would have continued on from the mystery roundabout to six hills way. But don't take my word for it.
Awesome Video
Like a real life version of when you built something in Sim City, ran out of cash, came back and accidentally built around it.
Great video as always. Ueseless fact about Stevenage. It was the setting for Episode One, Season Two "The Fellow Traveller" of "The Saint" TV series, with Roger Moore driving that classic Volvo P1800.
Compare the views from 1962 and today and you can see the proliferation of unnecessary and ugly street furniture. Signs of the times I suppose.
And that 60's 'coming of age' flick "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" 😃
@@whyyoulidl I remember watching that on TV about 30 years ago and playing spot the locations. My favourite part is when I realise they are in the changing rooms of my secondary school wearing my old school tie.
Hang onto your hats. I have been doing some digging and I now think I have the complete story. I can't find again who the person was that suggested looking at the video 'Stevenage 1962 - The Town Centre' but that video has unlocked most of the mystery. In that video I have now realised where the sequence from 1:05 to 1:16 took place, because the road layout is so different now (and was when I moved to Stevenage in 1983).
A woman is walking along to the end of Valley Way at 1:05 and crosses the deserted single carriageway road to reach the bus stop. At 1:08 we see a bus turning left from Broadwater Crescent onto a single carriageway road at a T-junction. At first I thought there was a continuity error but then I realised that we were looking at the area where there is now a roundabout and a filling station. As Valley Way and Broadwater Crescent are not aligned with each other, that is why the roundabout is an oval shape. Anyway, I digress slightly!
The twice aforementioned single carriage way road was Broadhall Way, which has been a busy dual carriageway since at least 1983 and probably much earlier, and is the road that goes past the non-roundabout today. At 1:14 in the 1962 video, there is a view in the general direction of the roundabout where Monkswood Way and Broadhall Way meet (although you can't actually see the roundabout because Broadhall Way bends round to the left) and the site of where the non-roundabout would later be built.
Since the cycle path that goes past the primary (JMI) school and the football ground was there in the 1962 film and is so far to the left in the video, you can determine that they built the two new carriageways on either side of the strange stretch of decaying tarmac between them. This means that the decaying tarmac, which was never dug up and extends under the 'non-roundabout' is the course of the original single carriageway Broadhall Way. This also explains why the decaying tarmac tapers to nothing before the Broadwater Crescent / Valley Way / Broadhall Way roundabout, because there is not enough room to spare on the verges for the two newer carriageways to be built without encroaching on the old road.
As others have commented, the non-roundabout was built because it would facilitate a junction with Road 9, which was meant to go along the edge of Fairlands Valley Park as far as Six Hills Way and then on to Fairlands Way. However the plug was pulled on Road 9 in 1966 and and we have been left with a stump where it would have started, which now only provides an extra entry / exit for the fairground / football ground car park. As the newer two carriageways are (and Road 9 would have been) higher than the old road at the non-roundabout, the non-roundabout needed to be above the level of the old road. Road 9 may have originally been planned as a fifth road meeting the Broadhall Way / Monkswood Way roundabout (see at 1:50) but, when it came to the more detailed planning, the road was intended to branch off Broadhall Way where the non-roundabout now stands.
Prior to 1966 the Stevenage Development Corporation spent £250,000 on putting in grade separation on Broadhall Way so that if you were driving in a car (but not a high-sided vehicle) up Broadhall Way towards Hertford, you could choose either to go under the non-roundabout and emerge on the other side or keep to the left with the option of turning left into Road 9 or carrying on up Broadhall Way. (Thank you Ken Poole for his contribution to www.talkingnewtowns.org.uk.)
Once this grade separation was abandoned, they could have have moved a fair amount of earth to cover the course of the old road to bring the level up to that of the non-roundabout. However, and this is the one bit I haven't ascertained, possibly on the grounds of cost (as per John's closing remarks) and / or possibly to keep some additional parking for football supporters (see the video at 2:40 for an aerial photo taken while a match was taking place), they left things as they were. This non-roundabout construction does look like one of the very many underpasses for cycle paths and footpaths dotted around Stevenage but in fact never was one.
After 40 years and having driven past it thousands of times, I thought it was worth the effort. Sorry if I have bored you!
All of the UK's "new towns" have an abundance of roundabouts. I believe that all of the roundabouts were manufactured in the giant roundabout factory in Skelmersdale Lancashire and then transported to site. Somebody in the planning department of Stevenage council accidently ordered one roundabout too many. But there's no refunds, so they had to just plonk it down there and hope no-one noticed. 😁
😆
There’s a give way still on the tarmac. Looks like it was to allow for a change in direction a it was probably both give way to the main carriageway.
I didn't realize just how different Britain was from the U.S. in the post War era I doubt that any infrastructure devoted to pedestrians or bicyclists were built in the U.S. In fact, many places were build without any sidewalks through the 1950's, but not in Britain where they were building underpasses and paths with gradual slopes to allow free flow of pedestrian and bicyclist alike.
As a long-term Stevenage resident, I was shocked when I visited a relative in a 1970s development in Florida where, as you stated, there were no footpaths or cyclepaths. With no decent public transport, everyone was expected to travel by car. From my UK perspective, it seemed like a vision of a dystopian future. Most of the UK's largest cities have tried to retro-fit cyclepath networks into street networks that were designed in the nineteenth century or previous to that. Not all have been successful, to be honest. Stevenage had a population of 6,000 in 1946 and therefore the planners had an almost blank canvas. The population now is about 90,000.
Cycle paths in Stevenage were great except at night, they were dimly lit and I cycled into a black-painted bollard one night, bending the forks straight, the frame significantly and me a bit as well 😢
Sorry to hear about your mishap. Having cycled in Stevenage for 40 years I have never experienced this issue but maybe I use different routes from you. These days LED bike lights are much better than the old-school ones and throw out much more illumination.
I definitely agree with the "almost definitely for cyclists and pedestrians". That underpass looks just like the ones in Harlow (except they're still in use).
Hi Jon, have a look at Skelmsdale half of that place is unfinished
Oh yeah, I see what you mean: the unrealized overpass on Gillibrands Road that was supposed to fly-over the Thorn Island roundabout. Lots of unfinished access roads.
I think the Bone Island "roundabout on the B5312-Southway is much more unusual, and even more so because of similar unrealized overpass access roads. I have never seen a squashed roundabout like that anywhere. Now that combo would make an interesting vid...
Cheers from Virginia, USA.