View source for A449 road

{{Short description|Major road in England and Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=August 2010}}
{{Infobox road
| maint = [[National Highways]], [[English local authorities]] and [[South Wales Trunk Road Agency]]
| country = GBR
| image = A449 from Cat's Ash Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 359876.jpg
| type = A
| route = 449
| map = [[File:A449 road map.png|200px]]
| map_custom = yes
| length_mi = 104
| direction_a = North
| terminus_a = [[Stafford]]
| direction_b = South
| terminus_b = [[Newport, Wales|Newport]]
| junction = {{jct|country=GBR|M|6|dab1=Great Britain}} J13 <br>{{jct|country=GBR|M|54|dab1=Great Britain}} J2 <br>{{jct|country=GBR|M|5|dab1=Great Britain}} J6 <br>{{jct|country=GBR|M|50|dab1=Great Britain}} J4 <br>{{jct|country=GBR|M|4|dab1=Great Britain}} J24 <br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|34|noshield1=|nolink1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|5|noshield1=|nolink1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|460|name1= }}<br>
{{jct|country=GBR|A|4150|name1= }}<br>
{{jct|country=GBR|A|4124|name1= }}<br>
{{jct|country=GBR|A|41|name1= }}<br>
{{jct|country=GBR|A|454|name1= }}<br>
{{jct|country=GBR|A|4123|name1= }}<br>
{{jct|country=GBR|A|459|name1= }}<br>
{{jct|country=GBR|A|463|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|491|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|4101|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|458|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|451|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|456|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|448|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|38|noshield1=|nolink1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|4440|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|417|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|40|noshield1=|nolink1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|472|name1= }}
| destinations = [[Wolverhampton]]<br>[[Kidderminster]]<br>[[Worcester, England|Worcester]]<br>[[Ross-on-Wye]]<br>[[Monmouth]]
|previous_type = A
|next_type = A
|previous_route = 448
|next_route = 450
}}

The '''A449''' is a major road in the [[United Kingdom]]. It runs north from junction 24 of the [[A48 road]] at [[Newport, Wales|Newport]] in [[South Wales]] to [[Stafford]] in [[Staffordshire]].

The southern section of the road, between [[Ross on Wye]] and Newport forms part of the trunk route from [[Stafford]] to Newport, avoiding the [[Severn Bridge]]

==Route==

===Newport – Ross-on-Wye===
[[File:A449 road.jpg|thumb|left|The A449 on the outskirts of Newport.]]

The A449 starts on the [[M4 motorway|M4]] at the Coldra Interchange (J24) in Newport and is dual carriageway all the way to [[Raglan, Monmouthshire|Raglan]]. The section from the [[A40 road|A40]] junction at Raglan to the A472 junction at [[Usk]], known as the ''New Midlands Road'', was one of the first sections to be dualled, opening on 16 October 1970. A special postmark dated 8 December 1972 was produced showing the opening of the A449 by The Secretary of State for Wales. Between Raglan and [[Ross-on-Wye]] the A449 is [[Concurrency (road)|concurrent]] with the A40.

===Ross-on-Wye – Worcester===
The road becomes quite twisty on departing Ross-on-Wye, but straightens out a little before arriving at [[Ledbury]]. The road turns northwards upon crossing into [[Worcestershire]] at [[Little Malvern]] and skirts the eastern slopes of the [[Malvern Hills]] through the town of [[Great Malvern]]. It then crosses [[Worcester, England|Worcester]]'s ring road, the A4440, at a roundabout near [[Powick]].

===Worcester – Wolverhampton===

North of [[Worcester, England|Worcester]], a spur road of the same number heads towards the [[M5 motorway|M5]] Junction 6, while the main route continues towards [[Kidderminster]], concurrent with the [[A442 road|A442]]. Between [[Claines]] and [[Hartlebury]] the A449 is once again dual carriageway, but much tinkering has left the road with a single lane each way and {{convert|50|mi/h|km/h}} speed restriction. The road becomes urban again while passing through Kidderminster. It then heads north into [[Staffordshire]], passing between [[Kinver]] and [[Stourbridge]] and crossing the [[A458 road|A458]] at Stourton. The [[A491 road|A491]] meets it just north of [[Kingswinford]]. Continuing northwards, it passes [[Wombourne]] (becoming dual carriageway once more) being joined by the [[A463 road|A463]] before turning sharply north-east into the outskirts of [[Wolverhampton]] and meeting the [[Wolverhampton Ring Road|Ring Road]].

===Wolverhampton – Stafford===

The road resumes its journey northwards, passing [[Molineux Stadium]] (home of [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.]]) and leaving the city just south of Junction 2 of the [[M54 motorway|M54]]. It originally ran through the centre of Wolverhampton until the 1980s, when all roads within the new ring road were declassified. Around the same time, the section of Waterloo Road on which Molineux Stadium stands was declassified and the A459 Stafford Street (north of the Ring Road) and Lower Stafford Street became part of the A449.

From there it forms part of the link between the M54 and the [[M6 motorway|M6]] North. It crosses the [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5]] at the [[List of road junctions in the United Kingdom: G|Gailey Roundabout]] near the village of [[Gailey, Staffordshire|Gailey]], a short distance west of M6 Junction 12, at which point it reverts to a single carriageway. It passes through [[Penkridge]] before crossing the M6 at Junction 13, reaching its terminus at its junction with the [[A34 road (Great Britain)|A34]] in Stafford.

Originally [[turnpike trust|turnpiked]] under the [[Stafford, Worcester and Warwick Roads Act 1760]] ([[1 Geo. 3]]. c. 39), the Wolverhampton-Stafford road was part of the historic London-Liverpool coach route. Notoriously narrow in the 19th century, much of it was turned into dual carriageway between the world wars. The Gailey Roundabout was improved in 1929 and again in 1937, removing parts of the churchyard and the historic Spread Eagle Inn (although the latter was replaced by a new building). Widening at Penkridge between 1932 and 1934 reshaped the western part of the town, resulting in the demolition of many ancient buildings.<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53403#s1 Victoria County History: Staffordshire: Volume 5, chapter 16: Penkridge, s.1.]</ref> The dual carriageway between Wolverhampton and Gailey was constructed between 1936 and 1939.<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53395#1 Victoria County History: Staffordshire: Volume 5, chapter 8: Brewood, s.1.]</ref> This section of the road was featured in [[Citizen Khan]] episode "Alia's University".

== Former routes ==
* The original routing of the road was from Bromsgrove – Stourbridge – Wolverhampton – Stafford
* The villages of Hartlebury and [[Ombersley]] have been bypassed
* Part of Ledbury is now bypassed
* Between Raglan and Newport the A449 used to run through the towns of Usk and Caerleon, along a now mostly unclassified road to the west, terminating at junction 25 of the M4

== Water crossings ==
* [[River Trothy]], [[Monmouth]]
* [[River Monnow]], [[Monmouth]]
* [[River Wye]], [[Ross-on-Wye]]
* [[River Leadon]], [[Ledbury]]
* [[River Severn]], [[Worcester, England|Worcester]]
* [[Stourbridge Canal]], [[Stourton, Staffordshire|Stourton]]
* [[River Stour, Worcestershire|River Stour]], [[Kinver]]
* [[Wom Brook]], [[Wombourne]]
* [[Birmingham Canal]], [[Wolverhampton]]
* [[Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal]], [[Coven, Staffordshire|Coven]]
* [[River Penk]], [[Penkridge]]

==See also==
*[[Trunk roads in Wales]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928014542/http://www.road-to-nowhere.co.uk/route-guides/A449/ Road to Nowhere: A449]

{{GB A road zone 4}}
{{Motorways and Trunk Roads in Wales}}
{{Transport in Monmouthshire}}
{{Transport in Newport}}
{{Transport in Worcestershire}}

{{coord|52.23989|N|2.22731|W|type:landmark_region:GB_dim:90000|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:4-0449}}
[[Category:Roads in England]]
[[Category:Roads in Wales]]
[[Category:Transport in Herefordshire]]
[[Category:Transport in Monmouthshire]]
[[Category:Transport in Newport, Wales]]
[[Category:Transport in Staffordshire]]
[[Category:Roads in Worcestershire]]
[[Category:Transport in Worcester, England]]
[[Category:Malvern, Worcestershire]]
[[Category:Transport in Wolverhampton]]