A42 road (England)

The A42 is a major trunk road in the East Midlands region of the United Kingdom. It links junction 23A of the M1 motorway to junction 11 of the M42 motorway. The A42 is in effect a continuation of the M42, and its junctions are numbered accordingly.

A42
Click map to enlarge
Route information
Maintained by Highways England
Length15 mi (24 km)
HistoryCompleted in 1989
Major junctions
Northeast endKegworth
52.8235°N 1.3047°W / 52.8235; -1.3047 (A42 road (northeastern end))
 
M1 motorway


J14 → A453 road
/
J13 → A511 road/A512 road

/
M42 motorway/A444 road
Southwest endAppleby Magna
52.6854°N 1.5499°W / 52.6854; -1.5499 (A42 road (southwestern end))
Location
CountiesLeicestershire
Primary
destinations		East Midlands Airport
Road network
← A41A43 →
Looking north bound towards restricted junction 14.

It is built to a similar standard to the M42, being a grade separated dual carriageway. The 6-mile (9.7 km) Measham and Ashby-de-la-Zouch bypass section was opened in August 1989 at a cost of £33m.

Junctions
A42 road junctions
Northbound exits Junction Southbound exits
Road merges onto M1 continuing towards Nottingham M1 J23A
Services		 Start of road
East Midlands , Nottingham (S), Derby (A6) A453
Donington Park services		 No access (on-slip only)
Castle Donington A453 J14 No access (on-slip only)
Ashby, Coalville, Leicester A511, Loughborough A512 J13 Ashby, Burton, Coalville A511
Snarestone B4116, Ashby J12 Snarestone, Measham B4116
Start of road M42 J11
Services		 Nuneaton A444
Non-motorway traffic
Burton upon Trent, Measham A444 Road continues as M42 towards Tamworth

The A42 was built by the UK Government in 1989 to link the northern section of the M42 to the M1. Although it is not designated as motorway, and has no hard shoulder, the road is fully grade separated and runs with two lanes each way, the same as the M42 to the south.

The original planned line of the M42 saw it joining the M1 further to the north, crossing what is now the A50 Derby Southern Bypass and meeting the M1 north of Bardills Island (A52/M1 interchange).[1]

Service stations
  • Donington Park services

History of the road number

The current road is the second incarnation of the A42. The original (1923) route was Reading to Birmingham via Oxford. The whole road disappeared in 1935 - the section from Reading to Shillingford became part of the A329, Shillingford to Oxford became part of the A423 and Oxford to Birmingham became part of the A34. In 1993 the A423 was itself renumbered, with the section formerly the A42 becoming part of the A4074 from Reading to Oxford. The modern M42 does interchange with the former A42 at junction 4 near Solihull: Stratford Road now being numbered A34 to the north of the junction and A3400 to the south.

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See also

References
  1. - Appleby Magna - Nottingham (maps). Jukes, Steven. Pathetic Motorways.

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