verbena wrote:

In the same vein, just before J8 on the Londonbound side of the M4,
there's a curious bit where the roadside fence stops and it looks
like there was some sort of exit at some point. Google Earth just
shows a field beyond and a fairly new housing estate. It does
however look as
if something turned away from the motorway at some point in the
past.
Was it a contractors depot or similar?

I think you're referring to the original J8 which was on the London side
of the current J8/9.

When the Maidenhead by-pass section of the M4 was constructed, there was
a junction where the M4 crosses A308. The slip roads were on the London
side of the A308 bridge, and led to T-junctions with A308, uncontrolled
as far as I remember. Going west from here, the motorway then curved to
the north-west and headed for Maidenhead Thicket with the intention of
continuing westwards to the north of Reading.

When it was decided to route the M4 south of Reading a new junction was
needed between the Maidenhead Thicket route (now A404(M)) and the new
alignment. When the junctions were numbered, the A308 junction became
J8, the new junction was to be J9, and the two junctions on the Thicket
route became J9a and J9b. However, it was then realised that J8 needed
upgrading and was very close to the planned J9. The upgrading was
achieved by building the A308(M) spur to a combined junction J8/9, and
the old J8 was closed.

You can still see the original curve of the M4 just to the north-east of
the J8/9 roundabout.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

On Sep 29, 7:59 pm, "Richard J." wrote:
You can still see the original curve of the M4 just to the north-east of
the J8/9 roundabout.

You can see it quite clearly in google earth, it looks quite green.
Did they dig up the road surface or did they just let it return to
nature on its own? If the latter it says a lot about how long our
infrastructure wouldn't last if humanity suddenly vanished from the
planet

B2003

Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 7:59 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
You can still see the original curve of the M4 just to the
north-east of the J8/9 roundabout.

You can see it quite clearly in google earth, it looks quite green.
Did they dig up the road surface or did they just let it return to
nature on its own? If the latter it says a lot about how long our
infrastructure wouldn't last if humanity suddenly vanished from the
planet

I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60 years
later.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J." wrote:
I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60 years
later.

Good point. I know there are plenty of sections small roads that have
been just cut off and left to their own devices but are there any
large sections of A roads (or motorways) that were bypassed and
disused and just left alone?

B2003

Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J." wrote:
I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60
years later.

Good point. I know there are plenty of sections small roads that have
been just cut off and left to their own devices but are there any
large sections of A roads (or motorways) that were bypassed and
disused and just left alone?

I don't know, but IMO the Great Dunmow Bypass should be decommissioned or
turned back into a railway when it next needs resurfacing. The new A120 has
rendered it pretty redundant.

In article . com,
Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J." wrote:
I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60 years
later.

Good point. I know there are plenty of sections small roads that have
been just cut off and left to their own devices but are there any
large sections of A roads (or motorways) that were bypassed and
disused and just left alone?

Probably the longest stretch I know of: when the M74 opened, the A74
trunk dual carriageway was converted to single carriageway B-road, with
the whole length of the second carriageway being abandoned to nature.
CBRD again: http://www.cbrd.co.uk/histories/b7076-b7078/

Nick
--
Serendipity: http://www.leverton.org/blosxom (last update 28th Sep 2007)

"The Internet, an ersatz counterfeit of real life"
-- Janet Street-Porter, BBC2, 19th March 1996

Nick Leverton wrote:
In article . com,
Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60
years later.

Good point. I know there are plenty of sections small roads that have
been just cut off and left to their own devices but are there any
large sections of A roads (or motorways) that were bypassed and
disused and just left alone?

Probably the longest stretch I know of: when the M74 opened, the A74
trunk dual carriageway was converted to single carriageway B-road,
with the whole length of the second carriageway being abandoned to
nature.

Oh yeah...
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v...2217&encType=1

On Sep 30, 12:44 pm, "John Rowland"
wrote:
Nick Leverton wrote:
In article . com,
Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60
years later.

Good point. I know there are plenty of sections small roads that have
been just cut off and left to their own devices but are there any
large sections of A roads (or motorways) that were bypassed and
disused and just left alone?

Probably the longest stretch I know of: when the M74 opened, the A74
trunk dual carriageway was converted to single carriageway B-road,
with the whole length of the second carriageway being abandoned to
nature.

Oh yeah...http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v...908083&style=a...

I see a whole new hobby here, finding bit of modern roads that have
been closed, abandoned junction plans etc. There was an interesting
claim in the local paper last week that ground work was actually
undertaken for services betweeb J's 9 and 10 on the M25. This has been
controversial for some years now as locals are worried what effect a
motorway services would have on their million pound plus properties.
Now someone has said that hew was actually engaged in test drilling
back in hte 1980's, before the plan was even officially mooted.

Neill

On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J." wrote:
Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 7:59 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
You can still see the original curve of the M4 just to the
north-east of the J8/9 roundabout.

You can see it quite clearly in google earth, it looks quite green.
Did they dig up the road surface or did they just let it return to
nature on its own? If the latter it says a lot about how long our
infrastructure wouldn't last if humanity suddenly vanished from the
planet

I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60 years
later.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

There's another strange bit further along between Junctions 7 and 6 on
the north side, at the point where the sewage farm is on the opposite
side. I think it looks about where you have a sign for Legoland. As I
remember, the fence curves away from the carriageway at that point.

Neill

verbena wrote:
On Sep 29, 10:56 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
Boltar wrote:
On Sep 29, 7:59 pm, "Richard J."
wrote:
You can still see the original curve of the M4 just to the
north-east of the J8/9 roundabout.

You can see it quite clearly in google earth, it looks quite
green. Did they dig up the road surface or did they just let it
return to nature on its own? If the latter it says a lot about
how long our infrastructure wouldn't last if humanity suddenly
vanished from the planet

I'm pretty sure they dug it up. There are, after all, hurriedly
constructed runways on wartime airfields which are still there 60
years later.

There's another strange bit further along between Junctions 7 and 6
on the north side, at the point where the sewage farm is on the
opposite side. I think it looks about where you have a sign for
Legoland. As I remember, the fence curves away from the carriageway
at that point.

That's comparatively recent. A bank of earth was erected some years ago
to provide noise protection for the housing estate that was built just
north of the motorway. Presumably for emergency access reasons, there
is a break in the bank, but it's arranged so that there is no direct
path through it in order to maintain the noise protection. It's at 51
30'31"N 0 38'28"W on Google Earth.

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)