MT 106/285

Programming of trunk and classified road improvements in connection with London radial motorways: `D' ring road as a result of London-Basingstoke M3 Motorway; meetings

Date range	1964-1968
Location	National Archives (see all files stored here)
Catalogue	See entry
File base	Series MT, subseries MT 106

This file is truly delightful. It is likely to bring a smile to your face, probably because it contains the sort of thing that makes trawling through dusty archive documents worthwhile. The thing in this file that makes your day might actually have nothing to do with its subject matter.

Context

This file was produced while the M3 was in planning and is concerned with how it would interface with the existing road system in London - but discussion of how it would do that was heavily concerned with the "D" Ring Road, hence the title.

There's evidence of several meetings held by a "Sub Committee on the Integration of Proposed Motorways in the GLC Area with the General Road System" and a report that evaluates options for onward links from the M3 and concludes the A305 towards Twickenham is the top priority for improvement, but coming a close second is construction of the "D" Ring between Sunbury and the M4, with the "highly desirable aim of linking up two motorways". The tone of these has the remarkable feel of a team of people who had decided to send a six lane motorway to Sunbury and who had no clear idea where its traffic might go from there.

As part of this work, the Middlesex County Surveyor was asked for, and provided, cost estimates for construction of this bit of the "D" Ring. The results are here, broken down into several options depending on the cross-section.

There's also some interesting background, from the same sub committee, about similar discussions for the M23 and M11, and the problems being weighed up there.

At the back are three plans in an envelope, showing rough routes for the "D" Ring between M3 and A11. One has been fastened to the inside of the envelope by a bodged repair job. Have requested conservation take a look.

Towards the end, there's something delightful and unexpected: an entire report produced by Travers Morgan in August 1967 recommending standards for median hard shoulders, something they apparently produced while contemplating them for the M23.

People with camera copies

Chris Marshall has a partial copy.