A36 | |
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A36 close to its junction with the A303
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Major junctions | |
North end: | Bath |
A4 road A367 road A366 road A361 road A350 road A362 road A303 road A30 road A360 road A345 road A338 road A27 road A3090 road M27 motorway A326 road A336 road A35 road |
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South end: | Southampton |
Location | |
Primary destinations: |
Warminster Salisbury |
Road network | |
The A36 is a trunk road and primary route in southwest England that links the port city of Southampton to the city of Bath. At Bath, the A36 connects with the A4 road to Bristol, thus providing a road link between the major ports of Southampton and Bristol. Originally, the A36 continued to Avonmouth, but this section was renumbered to the A4. On its way south from Bath the A36 passes a number of towns and a city, including Warminster, Wilton and Salisbury in Wiltshire, and Totton in Hampshire, on the western outskirts of Southampton, where it joins the A35.
The majority of the A36 is built to single carriageway standard, but parts of it have been upgraded to dual carriageway. The A36 is dual carriageway for its 1 mile (1.6 km) bypass of the village of Beckington, 3 miles (5 km) north of Frome, and also dualled for approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) near its grade separated junction with the A303 road, 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Wilton. The A36 in Salisbury acts as the city's ring road, bypassing the city centre to dual carriageway standard. Just south-east of Salisbury the largest dualled section runs for about 4 miles (6 km), bypassing the village of Alderbury. Then, the road is briefly dualled from its roundabout with the A3090 road to the M27 motorway (junction 2) – this part of the road is erroneously thought by some to have been previously known as the A36(M); prior to the opening of the Totton Western Bypass on the other side of the junction, it was named as a spur of the M27, and hence is built to motorway standards. The A36 reverts to single carriageway standard through Totton until it terminates.