A166 | |
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Route information | |
Length: | 24.72 mi (39.78 km) |
Major junctions | |
West end: | A64/A1079/Grimston Bar |
A64 road A614 road |
|
East end: | A61454°00′32″N 0°27′15″W / 54.0089°N 0.4541°W |
Location | |
Primary destinations: |
York |
Road network | |
The A166 road is a trunk road between the outskirts of York and Driffield in the historic county of Yorkshire. The road used to terminate at the seaside town of Bridlington, until the opening of the Driffield by-pass caused the final section to be renumbered as the A614.
The A166 follows the path of an old Roman road from York to Stamford Bridge, where it forded the river at the place where the modern bridge is located. The bridge is mentioned in Anglo-Saxon Chronicles about the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. The road was turnpiked between York and Stone Dale as part of the York, Kexby Bridge, Grimston and Stone Dale Turnpike Trust established in 1806. A turnpike Trust had existed since 1765, but this included new maintenance provisions. The Trust lasted until 1872.
There are a number of Scheduled Ancient Monuments that lay alongside the A166, most notably in the area of Garrowby Hill:
In 1983, the Driffield by-pass was built and became the route of the A166, which had previously gone through the centre of the busy market town. The by-pass was renumbered in 1996 to become the A614 and thus shorten the historic old road.
In 2008, a feasibility study was carried out and proposals were put forward on behalf of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council for an alternative crossing of the River Derwent at Stamford Bridge. The current Grade II listed bridge only allows for one way flow and is controlled by traffic lights. It has a record for causing peak hour delays during the working week. Alternative routes included utilising the disused York to Beverley railway line crossing downstream from the current bridge. Also adding a new structure right next to the existing bridge was put forward. Other proposals involved two routes to the north of the river, one crossing just north of the caravan site on Buttercrambe Road and the other a complete new by-pass missing the village altogether. The report concluded that the best options did not score well enough for the Regional Transport Board to take forward and should not be pursued.