Editing A30 road

{{short description|Major road in England}}
{{For|other roads designated A30|A30 (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2014}}
{{Infobox road
| country = GBR
| type = A
| route = 30
| map = [[File:A30 road map.png|200px]]
| map_custom = yes
| length_mi = 284
| direction_a = East
| direction_b = West
| terminus_a = [[Hounslow]], London ({{coord|51.475|N|0.396|W|display=inline}})
| destinations = [[Heathrow Airport]]<br />[[Staines-upon-Thames]]<br />[[Basingstoke]]<br />[[Salisbury]]<br />[[Shaftesbury]]<br />[[Yeovil]]<br />[[Honiton]]<br />[[Exeter]]<br />[[Okehampton]]<br />[[Launceston, Cornwall|Launceston]]<br />[[Bodmin]]<br />[[Newquay]]<br />[[Truro]]<br />[[Redruth]]<br />[[Penzance]]
| terminus_b = [[Land's End]] ({{coord|50.066|N|5.701|W|display=inline}})
| junction =
{{jct|country=GBR|A|4}}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|312|name1= }}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|M|25|dab1=Great Britain}} Junction 13<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|303|name1= }}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|34}}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|338|name1= }}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|36}}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|350|name1= }}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|303|name1= }}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|35}}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|M|5|dab1=Great Britain}} Junctions 29 and 31<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|38}}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|39}}
| previous_type = A
| previous_route = 29
| next_type = A
| next_route = 31
}} 
The '''A30''' is a major road in [[England]], running {{convert|284|miles|km|0}} [[boxing the compass|WSW]] from London to [[Land's End]].

The road has been a principal axis in Britain from the 17th century to early 19th century, as a major [[coach (carriage)|coaching]] route and [[post road]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bodmin Turnpike Roads |url=http://www.turnpikes.org.uk/Cornwall%20-%20Bodmin%20Roads.htm |website=Turnpike Roads in England and Wales}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Transport in Cornwall |url=https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/timeline/transport-in-cornwall/ |website=Cornwall Heritage Trust}}</ref> It used to provide the fastest route from London to the [[South West England|South West]] by land until a century before roads were numbered; nowadays much of this function is performed by the [[M3 motorway (Great Britain)|M3 (including A316)]] and [[A303 road]]s. The road has kept its principal status in the west from [[Honiton]], [[Devon]] to Land's End where it is mainly [[dual carriageway]] and retains [[trunk road]] status.

==Route==
===London to Honiton===
The A30 begins at Henlys Roundabout, where the route stems from the [[A4 road (England)|A4]] near [[Hounslow]]. It crosses the [[A312 road|A312]] before running south of the Southern Perimeter Road, [[Heathrow Airport]] and north of [[Ashford, Surrey|Ashford]] and [[Staines-upon-Thames]], before reaching the [[M25 motorway]] orbital motorway. This first section is entirely dual carriageway.  Taken with the A4, its natural continuation which nearby becomes non-dualled towards the M25, the section constitutes one of five routes into the southern half of London which reach Inner London with at least a dual-carriageway, the others being the [[A3 road|A3]], the [[M3 motorway (Great Britain)|M3]], the [[M20 motorway|M20]] and [[A2 road (Great Britain)|A2]], however approximately one mile before reaching [[Hammersmith and Fulham|Inner London]] it is combined with the London variants of the M3 and M4 approaches.

After running astride the M25 to cross the [[River Thames|Thames]] on a bridge designed by [[Edwin Lutyens|Lutyens]], the [[Runnymede Bridge]], the A30 runs parallel to but distant from the M3 until southwest of [[Basingstoke]], bypassing [[Egham]] and passing through  heathland and [[Sunningdale]], [[Bagshot|Bagshot bypass]], and [[Camberley]] where the route almost mirrors the [[Devil's Highway (Roman Britain)|Devil's Highway]], a stone (''stane'') street to [[Calleva Atrebatum]] (Silchester Roman town), believed to be older still, then passes close to [[Hook, Hart|Hook]] town centre and in the surrounding country the soil is arable.

After the 1930s Basingstoke bypass, the M3 changes direction (between [[North Waltham, Hampshire|North Waltham]] and [[Popham, Hampshire|Popham]], at the Popham Interchange) the A303 takes over for {{convert|2|mi}} the A30 losing continuity.{{efn|From [[North Waltham, Hampshire]] to nearby Micheldever Station, the A30 is subsumed into the A303 and one version remains so until [[Sutton Scotney]]/Bullington, the intersection with the Oxford (etc)&mdash;Southampton road, the A34, from where the A30 revives running south along Bullington Lane almost alongside the A34 before resuming a direct west south-westerly route to Salisbury and beyond; however along this combined A303-A30 section at Coxford Hill above [[Micheldever railway station]] an original version branches off linking more directly Sutton Scotney village from that point and enabling a cycle route to avoid Popham and the dual carriageway, taking a detour through North Waltham village.}}  From Sutton Scotney village the A30 runs parallel to the latter road [[geodesic datum|as-the-crow-flies]] {{convert|85|mi}} to north-east of Honiton, Devon passing through towns [[Stockbridge, Hampshire|Stockbridge]] (where it meets its first substantive river since the Thames, the [[River Test|Test]]) and its trout fishing centres, [[Shaftesbury]], [[Sherborne]], [[Yeovil]], [[Crewkerne]] and [[Chard, Somerset|Chard]]. Between Stockbridge and Shaftesbury it enters the cathedral city of [[Salisbury]].

Between the M25 and Honiton, the A30 is mostly single carriageway, carrying local traffic with short stretches of dual carriageway from Camberley to Basingstoke, which has a dualled inner ring road, two between Stockbridge and Salisbury (an alike ring road shared with the A36), and between Sherborne and Yeovil.

===Exeter to Penzance===
[[File:ChivertonCrossRoundaboutA30Cornwall.jpg|thumb|left|Approaching the now demolished Chiverton Cross from the east]]
This section is a [[trunk road]] as far as [[Penzance]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/aboutus/18780.aspx |title=Area 1 (map) |publisher=Highways Agency |access-date=22 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921000339/http://www.highways.gov.uk/aboutus/18780.aspx |archive-date=21 September 2011 }}</ref> The route is dual carriageway from Exeter to Camborne in West Cornwall. West of Camborne is mainly single carriageway.

To pass [[Exeter]], through traffic can join the [[M5 motorway]] for {{Convert | 3 | mi | 0 | spell = in}}. West of Exeter, the A30 is dual carriageway through [[Devon]] and into [[Cornwall]], bypassing [[Whiddon Down]], [[Okehampton]] and [[Launceston, Cornwall|Launceston]].

At [[Whiddon Down]] the road previously had a [[roundabout]], known as the Merrymeet junction,<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 March 2005 |title=A30 junction scheme unveiled |url=https://www.tavistock-today.co.uk/news/a30-junction-scheme-unveiled-361967 |work=Tavistock Times Gazette}}</ref> but was replaced in December 2006 by a split-level junction allowing the A30 dual carriageway to run unimpeded by traffic from the A382, in what had been a major cause of traffic.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 June 2003 |title=Minister unveils Merrymeet layout |url=https://www.tavistock-today.co.uk/news/minister-unveils-merrymeet-layout-355093 |work=Tavistock Times Gazette}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=21 December 2006 |title=Road opens with months to spare |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6201997.stm |work=BBC News}}</ref>

The dual carriageway continues through Cornwall. A Preferred Route Announcement to dual the section from [[Carland Cross]] to [[Chiverton Cross]] was made in July 2017, a Development Consent Order was made in February 2020 by [[Secretary of State for Transport]], and construction started in March 2020. The new section opened in 2024.

From Chiverton Cross, the dual carriageway bypasses [[Redruth]] and [[Camborne]]. The A30 returns to single carriageway west of Camborne, and a mid-1980s bypass takes the road around [[Hayle]]. Between Hayle and Penzance, the A30 returns to the original route and it passes through several villages. Approaching Penzance, the A30 briefly becomes a dual carriageway once again. Once west of Penzance, the A30 becomes a more rural road running through or past several villages, before terminating at Land's End.

==History==
===Post road===
A customary route was long established, even prior to the appointment of [[Brian Tuke]] as [[Postmaster General|Master of the King's Posts]] in 1512, and in [[William Harrison (priest)|William Harrison's]] ''Description of England'' in ''[[Holinshed's Chronicles]]'' in 1577 this is described as a route from London, through [[Chard, Somerset|Chard]], [[Honiton]], [[Exeter]], [[Crockernwell]], [[Okehampton]], [[Launceston, Cornwall|Launceston]], [[Bodmin]], and on through [[Truro]].<ref name=brayshay>{{Cite journal |last=Brayshay |first=Mark |date=December 1991 |title=Royal Post-Horse Routes in South West England in the Reigns of Elizabeth I and James I |url=https://devonassoc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Brayshay-Royal-post-horse-routes-TDA-1991.pdf |journal=Reports of Transactions of the Devon Association for the Advancement of Science |volume=123 |pages=79–103}}</ref>

In 1574, [[Elizabeth I]]'s Master of Posts [[Thomas Randolph (ambassador)|Thomas Randolph]] was given an [[Order of Council]] to establish permanent posts on the route between the [[royal court]] and Exeter "for the speedy conveyance of all such packets as shall be sent from the Earl of Bedford out of the West Country", with then Earl of Bedford being [[Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford|Francis Russell]], later [[Lord Lieutenant of Devon]], based at [[Tavistock]]. Whilst court postmaster Robert Gascoigne was tasked the following week, the permanent posts were not in operation until 28 July 1579, when twelve Royal postmasters were in place, at the rate of 20 [[Penny (British pre-decimal coin)|pence]] per day, formalising the route as a Royal [[post road]].<ref name=brayshay/>

This route followed:<ref name=brayshay/>
* the [[City of London]] post room
* [[Hartfordbridge]]
* [[Basingstoke]]
* [[Andover, Hampshire|Andover]]
* [[Salisbury]]
* [[Shaftesbury]]
* [[Sherborne]]
* [[Crewkerne]]
* [[Honiton]]
* [[Exeter]]
* [[Crediton]]

All of these intermediate towns from the 1579 [[post road]] are on (or bypassed by) the modern A30, with the exception of Andover, which the modern road passes to the South of through [[Stockbridge, Hampshire|Stockbridge]], [[Sutton Scotney]], and [[North Waltham]].

There may have been a period of abeyance for some of these posts, but by the late 1580s, the threat of Spanish Invasion reinforced the need for effective communication along the line to [[Plymouth]], for which the post road was the natural route. By 1595, the route was fully re-established to Exeter (and thence on a branch to Plymouth) and the royal route continued to [[Launceston, Cornwall|Launceston]].<ref name=brayshay/> The route into Cornwall was used for passing of messages in relation to the [[Nine Years' War (Ireland)|Nine Years' War]] in Southern Ireland.<ref name=brayshay/>

===17th–18th centuries===
[[File:Ogilby - The Road From LONDON to the LANDS END (1675).jpg|thumb|left|''The Road from LONDON to the LANDS END'' (1675), [[John Ogilby]]]]
The road appeared on [[John Ogilby]]'s 1675 [[Ogilby's "Britannia"|map of Britain]],<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Roads |title=A History of the County of Wiltshire |volume=4 |editor-first=Elizabeth |editor-last=Crittall |publisher= Victoria County History |location=London |year=1959 |pages=254–271 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol4/pp254-271 |access-date=11 August 2016}}</ref> as "The Road from London to The Land's End in Cornwall", where which he described that "The Post-Office making this one of their Principal Roads", and opined that the section through Surrey and Hampshire was "in general a very good Road with suitable Entertainment".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/hantsmap/hantsmap/roads/r3notes.htm|title=Old Hampshire Mapped : Ogilby Routes|publisher=Geography Department, Portsmouth University|year=2003|access-date=11 August 2016}}</ref>

The route described by Ogilby started at [[Hyde Park Corner]], and closely mirrored the modern route as far as [[Exeter]], except for three sections from [[Knightsbridge]] to [[Bedfont]], [[Basingstoke]] to [[Salisbury]] via [[Andover, Hampshire|Andover]] and [[Exeter]] to [[Penzance]] via [[Ashburton, Devon|Ashburton]], [[Plymouth]], and following the Cornish south coast via [[St Austell]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Traveller's Guide: Or, A Most Exact Description of the Roads of England |first=John|last=Ogilby|year=1699|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=twFQAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA205|pages=202–203}}</ref>

The road was known to attract significant postal and coach traffic along its length by 1686.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://www.campop.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/transport/trunkroadspaper.pdf|page=6|title=Identifying the Trunk Roads of Early Modern England and Wales|publisher=The Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure|date=May 2017|access-date=28 March 2020}}</ref>

The route is described as the "Great Road to Land's End" in the ''[[Magna Britannia]]'', published in the early 19th century.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Daniel |last1=Lysons |first2= Samuel |last2= Lysons|chapter=Geography and geology|series=Magna Britannia|volume=3 |title= Cornwall|location=London|year=1814|pages=clxxxi–cxciii|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/magna-britannia/vol3/clxxxi-cxciii|access-date=11 August 2016}}</ref> As the coaching road to Land's End was a major route, it was a popular place for [[highwayman|highwaymen]]. William Davies, also known as the Golden Farmer, robbed several coaches travelling across [[Bagshot Heath]]. He was hanged in 1689 at a gallows at the local gibbet hill between [[Bagshot]] and [[Camberley]]. The [[Jolly Farmer]] pub was built near the site of the gallows (gibbet), a junction.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ot6AzT3fO6AC&pg=PA114|title=Green Men & White Swans: The Folklore of British Pub Names|first=Jacqueline|last=Simpson|publisher=Random House|year=2011|isbn=978-0-099-52017-7}}</ref>

===19th century===
[[File:Bridge across the River Yarty, on the A30 - geograph.org.uk - 1567834.jpg|thumb|250px|The A30 crossing the [[River Yarty]]. The road was built by the Chard Turnpike Trust in the mid 19th century to compete with the New Direct Road, later the [[A303 road|A303]].]]
At the turn of the 19th century, William Hanning created the "New Direct Road", a fast coaching route between London and Exeter. The road deviated from Ogilby's route running via [[Amesbury]] and [[Ilminster]], rejoining the older road at Honiton. It became popular with postal services such as ''The Subscription''. In 1831, a race was held between London and Exeter via the New Direct Road, which resulted in a dead heat. {{convert|170|miles}} were covered in 13 hours, compared to a typical early 18th century time of four days.<ref>{{cite book|title=The A303: Highway to the Sun|first=Tom|last=Fort|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=2012|isbn=978-0-857-20327-4|pages=259, 262–263}}</ref> In response to the competition of routes, a new turnpike road was built west of Chard, avoiding the historic route to Honiton via [[Stockland, Devon|Stockland]], with several steep hills. This road met the New Direct Road near [[Upottery]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/a76a570f-6040-4a9f-b748-3c87b2cbae34|title=CHARD TURNPIKE TRUST Records|publisher=Somerset Heritage Centre|url-access=registration }}</ref>{{efn|This junction explains why the A30 turns off at Upottery to become a minor road towards [[Yarcombe]], while the road immediately ahead becomes the A303}}

This 'New Direct Road' is the basis of what is now the [[A303]].

Historically, the route between London and Land's End was also called the "Great South-West Road". In the 21st century, the name only refers to a small section of the road near Heathrow.<ref name=tna>{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3543658|title=CLASSIFICATION: Re-numbering of classified routes|publisher=The National Archives|year=1933–1942|url-access=registration }}</ref>

====Redruth to Penzance====
In 1825 an [[Act of Parliament]] established the ''Hayle Bridge Causeway and Turnpike Trust'' which was required to construct a bridge, causeway and [[turnpike trust|turnpike]] over the [[River Hayle|Hayle River]] from Griggs Quay ({{gbmapping|SW545363}}) in the west to [[Phillack]] in the east. The turnpike was needed to ease the transport of [[copper ore]] to the port at [[Hayle]] for export. A second Act was passed in 1837 to establish the ''Griggs Quay to Penzance Turnpike'' and in 1839 an Act formed a third trust, the ''Hayle and Redruth Turnpike'' to complete the turnpike to [[Redruth]].{{sfnp|Historic England|1405965|ps=}} The running of the Causeway turnpike was overseen by the winner of a public auction and for the year 1880, the winning bid was £591&nbsp;10s.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cornish|first1=Thomas|title=Hayle Bridge Causeway and Turnpike Road|work=The Cornishman|issue=115|date=23 September 1880|page=1}}</ref> In 1885 the management of the causeway by the turnpike came to an end, and the White house ([[tollhouse]]) on the eastern end of the Hayle causeway, along with the garden and three granite posts was put up for auction on 30 October 1885. A second tollhouse at [[Long Rock]] was also for auction as well as a number of posts and gates.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hayle Bridge Causeway and Turnpike Trust |work=The Cornishman |issue=379 |date=22 October 1885 |page=1}}</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:China Southern Airlines Airbus A380 arriving at Heathrow over Myrtle Avenue, 8 July 2020.jpg|thumb|right|The Great South West Road section of the A30 borders [[Heathrow Airport]].]]
The A30 was one of the first roads to be classified by the [[Ministry of Transport (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Transport]] for funding in 1921. It followed Ogilby's route up to Exeter, then the basic route of the modern A30 through Okehampton, Launceston and Bodmin to the Greenmarket in Penzance, where it ended.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.php?view=50.11852,-5.55112&map=NPEMap&zoom=7&layer=4|title=Half Inch Ministry of Transport Road Map|publisher=Ordnance Survey|access-date=22 December 2011}}</ref> It was extended to Land's End in 1925.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3543653|title=CLASSIFICATION: Road numbering|publisher=The National Archives|year=1921–1949|url-access=registration }}</ref>

The Great South West Road section of the A30 around Heathrow had been planned as the western end of the Great West Road project, one of the first bypasses built for motor traffic. Construction began in 1914 but was quickly halted because of [[World War I]]. It resumed construction in 1919.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=wes_ttda&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS120261720&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|title=The Great West Road|newspaper=The Times|date=24 February 1919|page=7|access-date=16 August 2016|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The full route from [[Chiswick]] to [[Ashford, Surrey|Ashford]] was opened by [[George V|King George V]] on 30 May 1925.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=wes_ttda&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS285677740&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|title=London to the West|newspaper=The Times|date=12 May 1925|page=17|access-date=16 August 2016|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Following the construction of a bypass around Basingstoke, the route of the A30 was changed on 1 April 1933 to run by [[Sutton Scotney]] and [[Stockbridge, Hampshire|Stockbridge]], rejoining the original route at Lopcombe Corner east of Salisbury. An alternative route, the [[A303 road|A303]] was created out of existing roads at the same time between [[Micheldever Station]] and the [[Blackdown Hills National Landscape|Blackdown Hills]], that followed the basic course of Hanning's New Direct Road.<ref name=tna/> The A30 remained the principal route between London and Exeter, until the A303 became a [[trunk road]] in 1958, receiving central Government funding and relegating the parallel A30 to a local road.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1958/nov/05/a30-and-a303|title=A.30 and A.303|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=5 November 1958|access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref>

By the mid-20th century, large sections of the A30 were struggling to cope with the increasing demands of road traffic. In the mid-1960s, numerous councils complained that the [[Secretary of State for Transport]], [[Barbara Castle]], decided that improvements to the [[A38 road|A38]] from Exeter to Plymouth were of higher priority for funding than any work on the A30. Cornwall County Council complained that the A30 through the county was narrow and twisted, and known as the "stage coach trail".<ref>{{cite news|title=Road to the West : Ministry's Choice Dismays Cornwall|work=The Times|date=20 June 1966|access-date=11 August 2016|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=wes_ttda&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS169044692&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Following World War II, the Ministry of Transport planned a large-scale upgrade of the A30 across south-west England, with the eventual intention that most of the route would be at least dual-carriageway.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1958/nov/12/a30-and-a303#S5CV0595P0_19581112_CWA_7|title=A.30 and A.303|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=12 November 1958|access-date=11 August 2016}}</ref> The [[M3 motorway (Great Britain)|M3 motorway]] was planned as a replacement for the A30 between London and [[Popham, Hampshire|Popham]]. Following a public enquiry in 1966, the line was fixed the following year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukmotorwayarchive.org/en/motorways/motorway-listing/m3-london-to-southampton/index.cfm|title=M3 London to Southampton|publisher=The Motorway Archive|access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref> The work was completed as far as [[Bagshot]] in 1971, then to [[Sunbury-on-Thames]] in 1974.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukmotorwayarchive.org/en/motorways/motorway-listing/m3-london-to-southampton/index.cfm|title=M3. London to Southampton Statistics and options|publisher=The Motorway Archive|date=16 August 2016}}</ref> In 1971, the [[Secretary of State for the Environment]], [[Peter Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester|Peter Walker]] announced many upgrades of the A30 across Devon and Cornwall, identifying the section from Okehampton to Bodmin as a key area of improvement.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=wes_ttda&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS67335384&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|title=1,000 more miles of motorway will bring growth to less prosperous areas|work=The Times|date=24 June 1971|access-date=11 August 2016|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The {{convert|2.2|miles|adj=on}} Honiton dual-carriageway bypass opened in early December 1966 at a cost of £984,000.<ref name=Autocar196612>{{cite journal| title = Honiton Bypass| journal = [[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]] | volume = 125 | issue = 3696 |page=1287 |date = 16 December 1966}}</ref> The [[Hayle]] bypass was first proposed in the late 1970s. It was controversial, and [[Dora Russell]] protested against its construction.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=wes_ttda&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=CS302481564&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|title=Over 80, she still battles on|work=The Times|date=28 April 1977|access-date=11 August 2016|url-access=subscription }}</ref> It was completed in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1985/may/02/road-works-compensation|title=Road Works (Compensation)|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=2 May 1985|access-date=11 August 2016}}</ref>

[[File:CarlandCrossRoundaboutA30Cornwall.jpg|thumb|Carland Cross roundabout]]

{{anchor|Okehampton Bypass (Confirmation of Orders) Act 1985}}
The Okehampton bypass, which opened on 19 July 1988, goes to the south of the town, cutting through the northern edge of [[Dartmoor National Park]] in Devon. In the 1980s, the route of the bypass was the subject of a prolonged campaign from conservationists, including [[Sylvia Sayer]], who preferred a route to the north of the town through agricultural land.<ref>{{cite book
|last=Kelly|first=Matthew
|title=Quartz and Feldspar – Dartmoor: A British Landscape in Modern Times
|publisher=Jonathan Cape|location=London|year=2015
|isbn=978-0-22409-113-8|pages=10–16}}</ref>

The section between Honiton and Exeter in East Devon was upgraded in 1999 to dual carriageway, giving quicker access to [[Exeter International Airport]]. This road was built under the Design Build Finance Operate (DBFO) [[Private Finance Initiative]] scheme by the private consortium Connect A30, who receive a [[shadow toll]] from the Government for each vehicle travelling along the road.<ref name="Ref_">{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3505.aspx |title=Highways Agency - A30 Exeter to Bere Regis |access-date=8 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120408211459/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3505.aspx |archive-date=8 April 2012 }}</ref> Archaeological investigations during the work found a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[cavalry]] garrison and later settlement at [[Pomeroy Wood]].<ref name="Ref_1999">{{cite web|title=A30 Honiton to Exeter – Horse Power – Roman Style |work=Roads to the Past: Trunk Roads and Archaeology – 1999 report |publisher=[[Highways Agency]] |year=1999 |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/aboutus/1654.aspx |access-date=17 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605013655/http://highways.gov.uk/aboutus/1654.aspx |archive-date=5 June 2009  }}</ref> There were several protests by [[environmentalism|environmentalists]] during construction and the particular nature of the DBFO scheme, with a long-lasting occupation of sites on the planned route, focused around [[Fairmile, Devon|Fairmile]]. [[Swampy (environmentalist)|Swampy]] received press attention for his part in this protest. In 2016, President of [[The Automobile Association]], [[Edmund King (campaigner)|Edmund King]], claimed that the action had led to a slowdown in road construction throughout Britain.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hunt|first=Barry|date=14 June 2016|url=https://www.thecomet.net/news/22186175.revealed-road-building-records-prime-ministers-including-david-cameron/|title=Revealed: Road-building records of Prime Ministers, including David Cameron|work=The Comet|access-date=21 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Colleen|date=1 February 2020|orig-date=30 January 2020|title=Remembering when Swampy emerged from his long tunnel protest under Devon's A30|work=Devon Live|url=https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/remembering-swampy-emerged-long-tunnel-3738845|access-date=21 December 2022}}</ref>

===21st century===
[[File:BA38 Crash.jpg|thumb|[[British Airways Flight 38]] which crash landed between the runway and the A30.]]

During 2006 one of the main bottlenecks on the road was removed when the Merrymeet roundabout between Okehampton and Exeter near Whiddon Down was replaced with a grade-separated junction and dual carriageway.<ref name="Ref_a">{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/11937.aspx |title=Highways Agency - A30 Merrymeet Junction |access-date=29 August 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926025233/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/11937.aspx |archive-date=26 September 2006 }}</ref>

Since the [[Bodmin]] to [[Indian Queens]] project was completed in late 2007, the new dual carriageway runs to the north of [[Goss Moor]]. The previous road has been converted to a cycle lane.<ref name="Ref_2004">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4052133.stm |work=BBC News |title=Moor dualling plans get go-ahead |date=29 November 2004 |access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> In December 2012 it was announced that {{convert|2.8|miles}} from [[Temple, Cornwall|Temple]] to Higher Carblake would be upgraded to a dual carriageway.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/autumn_statement_2012_complete.pdf |title=AUTUMN STATEMENT 2012 |access-date=5 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224001641/http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/autumn_statement_2012_complete.pdf |archive-date=24 December 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Building started in early 2015, and was completed in summer 2017. This work made the A30 continuous dual carriageway between the M5 at Exeter and [[Carland Cross]] in Cornwall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/roads-highways-and-pavements/major-highway-schemes/a30-temple-to-higher-carblake-improvement/?page=33044|title=A30 Temple to Higher Carblake Improvement – Cornwall Council|publisher=Highways England|access-date=17 June 2016}}</ref>

On 17 January 2008, [[British Airways Flight 38]] crash-landed near the Great South West Road southeast of [[Heathrow Airport]].<ref name=AAIBFinal>{{cite web|url=http://www.aaib.gov.uk/publications/formal_reports/1_2010_g_ymmm.cfm|title=Report on the accident to Boeing 777-236ER, G-YMMM, at London Heathrow Airport on 17&nbsp;January 2008|publisher=AAIB|access-date=9 February 2010}}</ref> Shortly before the crash landing, the captain of the Boeing 777 involved was able to clear the A30 by raising the flaps, saving the lives of motorists on the ground.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2008-05-20 |title=BA crash inquiry reveals heroics |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7409625.stm |access-date=2022-10-03}}</ref>

In 2014, the A30 was identified as one of several key routes in the Government's Road Investment Strategy, turning it into a strategic corridor for southwest England. This includes further dual carriageway improvements east of Honiton towards the [[Blackdown Hills National Landscape|Blackdown Hills]] and between [[Chiverton Cross]] and [[Carland Cross]].<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=42318|title=A303/A358/A30 Corridor improvement package|publisher=Somerset County Council|access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/policies-and-plans/schemes-and-initiatives/a30-a303-a358-improvement-project/|title=A30/A303/A358 Improvement Project|publisher=Somerset County Council|access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref>

In 2022, the casket of Queen Elizabeth II was driven partially on this road en route to [[Windsor Castle]], her final resting place.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/19/map-shows-route-queens-coffin-will-take-on-final-journey-to-windsor-17403848/ | title=Map shows where you can watch the Queen on her final journey to Windsor Castle | date=19 September 2022 }}</ref>

====Carland Cross to Chiverton Cross====
Dualling of the stretch between Carland Cross and Chiverton Cross established a continuous dual carriageway from Exeter right through to Camborne. Although this was shelved in 2006 as it was not considered a regional priority,<ref name="Ref_2006">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/5155828.stm |work=BBC News |title=Winners and losers in roads plan |date=6 July 2006 |access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> it was included within the government's Road Investment Strategy in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/408514/ris-for-2015-16-road-period-web-version.pdf|title=Road Investment Strategy : for the 2015/16 – 2019/20 Road Period|website=Gov.uk|access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> The preferred route was announced in July 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.com/he/a30-chiverton-to-carland-cross-improvement-scheme/results/a30-chiverton_final_artwork.pdf|title=A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross Improvement Scheme : Preferred route announcement|website=Highwaysengland.citizenspace.com|access-date=3 November 2021}}</ref> and on 6 February 2020, the [[Secretary of State for Transport]] approved [[Highways England]]'s application for a Development Consent Order for the scheme to be constructed. Work began in March 2020 with an estimated cost of £330 million, a total of £20 million being provided by the [[European Regional Development Fund]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-51420300|work=BBC News |title=Main Cornwall route gets 'vital' £290m upgrade |date=7 February 2020| access-date=8 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross |url=https://highwaysengland.co.uk/our-work/south-west/a30-chiverton-to-carland-cross/ |website=www.highwaysengland.co.uk |date=18 May 2020 |publisher=[[Highways England]] |access-date=1 October 2020}}</ref> The scheme is included as a case study in the [[Department for Transport]]'s document Road Investment Strategy 2: 2020–2025. The route of the road passes near a [[World Heritage Site]], a [[Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England|Registered Park and Gardens]] and a number of [[SSSI|Sites of Special Scientific Interest]]. The scheme included a 20-metre-wide 'green bridge' over the new road to promote connectivity and biodiversity.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/871978/road-investment-strategy-2-2020-2025.pdf | title = Road Investment Strategy 2: 2020–2025 | date = 11 March 2020 | website = [[Department for Transport]] | access-date =  11 March 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200312064548/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/871978/road-investment-strategy-2-2020-2025.pdf | archive-date = 2020-03-12}}</ref> The road opened in 2024, 49 years after the nearby Camborne-Redruth bypass section, which had opened in 1975.

==Cultural references==
[[John Betjeman]] referred to the A30 in his poem "Meditation on the A30".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poetryconnection.net/poets/John_Betjeman/16972 |title=Meditation on the A30 – A poem by John Betjeman |publisher=Poetry Connection |access-date=17 June 2016}}</ref> Arthur Boyt, focus of BBC documentary ''The Man Who Eats Badgers'', described the A30 near Bodmin Moor as a good road for finding roadkill.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.veoh.com/browse/morelike/v150743042ZkNpky6#watch%3Dv15061938RThZfXqp |title=Arthur Boyt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622015644/http://www.veoh.com/list/morelike/v150743042ZkNpky6 |archive-date=22 June 2022 |access-date=5 December 2012  }}</ref>

In [[Monty Python's Flying Circus]], episode 34: The Cycling Tour, Mr Pither laments "As I lay down to the sound of the Russian gentlemen practising their shooting, I realised I was in a bit of a pickle. My heart sank as I realised I should never see the Okehampton by-pass again...", just before his impending execution in Russia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibras.dk/montypython/episode34.htm|title=Monty Python's Flying Circus: Just the Words – Episode 34|work=ibras.dk|access-date=17 June 2016}}</ref>

[[Rick Beato]], interviewing [[Brian May]] of the band [[Queen (band)|Queen]] in 2021, asked him (about the band), "How often would you tune?" to which May replied, "Not often enough, some people would say. We used to say we tuned to the A30."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgkvU5eCaYo&t=2479s  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/mgkvU5eCaYo| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Brian May Interview - Queen's Songs, Stories and Guitar Style|publisher=[[YouTube]]|access-date=24 September 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==References==
===Notes===
{{notelist}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{NHLE |num= 1405965|desc= Milestone standing at the entrance to the depot of Mounts Bay Coaches, at NGR SW4851231161| accessdate=12 October 2019|mode=cs2}}

{{Refend}}

{{GB A road zone 3}}
{{Motorways and Trunk Roads in England|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:3-0030}}
[[Category:Anti-road protests in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Roads in England]]
[[Category:Roads in Cornwall]]
[[Category:Roads in Devon]]
[[Category:Roads in Dorset]]
[[Category:Roads in Hampshire]]
[[Category:Roads in Surrey]]
[[Category:Roads in Wiltshire]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Hounslow]]