View source for A500 road

{{short description|Road in England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox road
| country = GBR
| type = A
| route = 500
| image = A500 and A50 Junction.JPG
| image_notes = The northbound junction between the A500 and A50
| map = A500 road map.svg
| map_notes = Map of the route of the A500
| length_mi = 
| direction_a = 
| terminus_a = [[Nantwich]]
| direction_b = 
| terminus_b = [[Clayton, Staffordshire|Clayton]]
| junction = {{jct|country=GBR|M|6|dab1=Great Britain}}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|34|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|50|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|51|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|52|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|53|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|519|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|527|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|531|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|5020|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|5271|name1= }}
| destinations = [[Stoke-on-Trent]], [[Crewe]]
| history = Constructed began 1962 and finished 2006
|previous_type = A
|next_type = A
|previous_route = 499
|next_route = 501
}}

The '''A500''' is a major [[primary status|primary]] [[A roads in Great Britain|A road]] in [[Staffordshire]] and [[Cheshire]], England. It is [[dual carriageway]] for most of its length and connects [[Nantwich]], junctions 16 and 15 of the [[M6 motorway]] with the city of [[Stoke-on-Trent]].  It is {{convert|19|miles|km}} long.

The road was built to provide links between Stoke-on-Trent and the M6, before being extended to Nantwich. Construction has taken place over several stages, beginning in 1962, with the final section of the original route being completed similar to the original plans in 2006. As a [[trunk road]], the section between junction 15 and 16 of the M6 is maintained by the [[Highways Agency]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/transport-and-streets-/roads/road-works/ |access-date=2007-05-17 |title=Development of the A500 through Stoke-on-Trent |publisher=Stoke-on-Trent City Council |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926225215/http://www.stoke.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/transport-and-streets-/roads/road-works/ |archive-date=26 September 2007}}</ref> whilst the section past junction 16 is maintained by [[Cheshire East]] council. In 2004, the road was stated as carrying 60,000 vehicles a day through Stoke.<ref name="ha">{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5360.aspx |title=A500 City Road & Stoke Road Junction Improvement – Statement of Case – Case for the Highways Agency |publisher=[[Highways Agency]] |access-date=2007-05-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070116123640/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5360.aspx |archive-date=16 January 2007}}</ref>

It is known locally as the "D-Road" or "Potteries D-Road",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thepotteries.org/photo_wk/093.htm |title=A500 – Potteries D Road |website=thepotteries.org}}</ref><ref name="hanews">{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/7474.aspx |publisher=Highways Agency |date=June 2001 |title=Good news for Stoke |access-date=2007-05-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223117/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/7474.aspx |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> after its configuration.<ref>{{cite book |title=Stoke Through Time |first=Mervyn |last=Edwards |publisher=Amberley Publishing |date=2013 |url={{GBurl|omLGCQAAQBAJ|page=22}} |page=22}}</ref> The originally planned route of the road joins junctions 15 and 16 of the M6 in a 'D' shape, and was represented in the logo used by the Corporation of Stoke when promoting the road.<ref name=Stoke1969>{{cite book |title=City of Stoke on Trent 'D' Road | publisher=City of Stoke-on-Trent Corporation |date=December 1969}}</ref> D is also the [[Roman numeral]] representing the number 500, the number assigned to the completed road.

==History==
By the 1960s, traffic congestion was a major problem in [[Stoke-on-Trent]], and journeys across the area sometimes took hours.  There was no connection from the newly constructed M6 to the city. Businesses in the area wanted an easier route to get their goods out of the area.<ref name="plans">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2006/11/07/a500_planning_feature.shtml |title=Making plans for the A500 |publisher=BBC|access-date=2007-05-14}}</ref>

As early as 1961 the route of the road scheme – already known as the "Potteries D Road" – was included in the Staffordshire Development Plan for planning purposes.<ref>{{cite Hansard |house=House of Commons |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1961/may/31/potteries-d-road-newcastle-under-lyme |date=31 May 1961 |title=Potteries D Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme |column_start=17W |column_end=18W}}</ref>
[[File:City_of_Stoke_D_Road_Brochure_-_Cover.jpg|thumb|left|Cover of the information leaflet about the proposed building of the "D road" through Stoke-on-Trent, showing the use of the 'D' shape overlaid on the map for promotion.<ref name=Stoke1969/>]]
The A500 was initially built from the M6 at junction 16 to the [[A34 road (England)|A34 road]] at [[Talke]] as part of the motorway construction,<ref name="ma">{{cite web|url=http://www.iht.org/motorway/m6birmpres.htm |work=The Motorway Archive |publisher=The Motorway Archive Trust |title=M6. Birmingham to Preston Motorway (J13 to J16) |access-date=2007-05-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311024310/http://www.iht.org/motorway/m6birmpres.htm |archive-date=11 March 2007 }}</ref> opening in 1962.<ref name="madates">{{cite web|url=http://www.iht.org/motorway/m6biprstat.htm |work=The Motorway Archive |publisher=The Motorway Archive Trust |title=M6. Birmingham to Preston Motorway (J13 to J16) – Statistics and options. |access-date=2007-05-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315091739/http://www.iht.org/motorway/m6biprstat.htm |archive-date=15 March 2007 }}</ref> At the southern end, a dual carriageway was constructed from junction 15 of the M6 to the A34 near [[Trentham, Staffordshire|Trentham]], given the number A5006,<ref name="ma" /> and opened at the same time.<ref name="madates" /> The northern section of the road was then subsequently extended from Talke to the [[A53 road]].

The Talke to [[Porthill, Staffordshire|Porthill]] section opened on 14 March 1973.<ref>[https://www.macearchive.org/films/atv-today-14031973-new-motorway-link-m5-opened ATV report March 1973]</ref>

The final section from the A34 in the south to the A53 junction was built between 1974<ref name="ha" /> and 1977.<ref name="plans" /> The two middle junctions were to be [[Grade separation|grade separated]], but due to financial constraints they were built as [[roundabout]]s.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2006/11/07/a500_demolition_feature.shtml |title=Making way for the A500 |publisher=BBC |date=2006-11-09 |access-date=2007-05-13}}</ref> Construction involved the destruction of streets and businesses within Stoke's town centre, as well as the excavation of a [[mass grave]] of the victims of a 17th-century [[cholera]] [[epidemic]].<ref name="bbc" /> This final section was named Queensway,<ref name="ha" /> and on its completion the whole route became the A500.
[[File:A500 near Audley - geograph.org.uk - 194763.jpg|thumb|upright|Part of the original A500 near [[Audley, Staffordshire|Audley]] ]]

The last section opened on 2 November 1977, by the Transport Secretary [[Bill Rodgers, Baron Rodgers of Quarry Bank|Bill Rodgers]].<ref>[https://www.macearchive.org/films/atv-today-02111977-final-stretch-stokes-motorway-link-opened ATV report November 1977]</ref>

The route remained unchanged until the 1980s when the Hanford Roundabout junction had a [[Overpass|flyover]] built, as this was a major [[Bottleneck (traffic)|bottleneck]] for both the A500 and A34.  The 1977 section east of this junction had been built with provision for the bridge, but the section built as the A5006 required realignment for the new interchange.  In the late 1980s the road was extended from Junction 16 close to [[Weston, Cheshire East|Weston]] with connections provided to existing roads to [[Keele]] and [[Crewe]].  The A52, which at that time ran to Nantwich, was renumbered from Newcastle to Weston as a B road and the section from Weston to Nantwich was incorporated into the A500. In 1989 a bypass to the east of Nantwich was opened, extending the A500 from the south of Nantwich to its current northerly terminus with the [[A51 road|A51]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19890346_en_1.htm |title=The A51/52 North of Newcastle-under-Lyme-Nantwich-Tarporley-Tarvin Trunk Road (Nantwich Bypass) Order 1989 |publisher=[[HMSO]] |date=1999-02-22 |access-date=2007-05-13}}</ref>

In 1993 a proposal was made to add the missing flyover and underpass close to [[Stoke-on-Trent railway station]], after an alternative plan had been rejected because of its cost.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/9684.aspx |publisher=Highways Agency |title=Project Background and Previous Options Considered |access-date=2007-05-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222745/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/9684.aspx |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> A full review of the national roads programme resulted in the suspension of that scheme however.<ref name="ha" /> In 1997 the [[A50 road|A50]] was rerouted through Stoke-on-Trent to meet the A500 at Sideway, where a new grade separated roundabout was constructed.
[[File:City Road Roundabout - geograph.org.uk - 7434.jpg|thumb|The city road junction as originally built]]
On the approach to [[Hough, Cheshire|Hough]] was a narrow single lane bridge which was added to with a [[Bailey bridge]] in 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/10140.aspx |publisher=Highways Agency |title=A500 Hough Railway Bridge |access-date=2007-05-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181249/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/10140.aspx |archive-date=30 September 2007 }}</ref> In September 2003, the Shavington bypass opened to reroute the road away from three villages on the former A52 section.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5057.aspx |publisher=Highways Agency |title=A500 Basford, Hough, Shavington Bypass |access-date=2007-05-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223018/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5057.aspx |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> This was built to dual carriageway standards with provision for further junctions to new development sites.

Traffic continued to rise to the point where major congestion was experienced on the central section.<ref name="hanews" /> Work began on 16&nbsp;February 2004 on the '''A500 Pathfinder Project''' to replace the final two roundabouts in Stoke with underpasses.  The Highways Agency defined the pathfinder project as involving "a new form of contract and co-operative working methods to deliver a better value project, faster."<ref name="hanews" /> The project involved alterations to the path of the [[Trent and Mersey Canal]] and [[River Trent]], along with new provisions for pedestrians. The work was carried out by [[Edmund Nuttall Limited|Edmund Nuttall]] Limited and was planned to be completed in spring 2006. Following a number of delays<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/staffordshire/4788719.stm|publisher=BBC News |title=Compensation bid over A500 works |date=2006-08-13 |access-date=2007-05-13}}</ref> for which it was rumoured the construction company was being fined up to £100,000 a day for not keeping to schedule, the road opened on Tuesday 26&nbsp;September 2006, with the southbound traffic in the morning and northbound traffic in the afternoon.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/staffordshire/5380528.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=A500 opens again after roadworks |date=2006-09-26 |access-date=2007-05-13}}</ref> Several months of additional work was needed to finalise traffic light operations, gardens, and other miscellaneous tasks.

In February 2009, it was announced that the single carriageway Nantwich bypass would be re-numbered as the [[A51 road|A51]] in a bid to relieve the town centre of traffic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crewechronicle.co.uk/crewe-news/local-crewe-news/2009/02/20/nantwich-road-signs-to-be-replaced-in-huge-scheme-96135-22974206/ |title=Nantwich road signs to be replaced in huge scheme |publisher=Crewe Chronicle |date=2009-02-20 |access-date=2009-03-17}}</ref>

In 2015, the final 500m of the eastbound single carriageway between Weston and Junction 16 of the M6 was upgraded.  This included resignalling works on the roundabout in order to relieve congestion at the roundabout.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/m6-junction-16-improvement-scheme/| title=M6 Junction 16 improvement scheme| publisher=Highways Agency| date=2015-06-30| access-date=2015-11-01| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712002055/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/m6-junction-16-improvement-scheme/| archive-date=12 July 2015| url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Route==
[[File:A500 looking towards M6 J15 - geograph.org.uk - 414385.jpg|thumb|Looking towards the M6 at junction 15 on the original A5006 section]]
The road is the primary access route for traffic to and from almost all areas of Stoke-on-Trent. Starting to the east of Nantwich on the Nantwich bypass the dual carriageway '''Shavington bypass''' running north of [[Hough, Cheshire|Hough]] and [[Shavington cum Gresty|Shavington]].  Returning to the 1980s single carriageway extension route it continues east through a [[cutting (transportation)|cutting]] to the M6 at Junction 16 where it becomes a dual carriageway.  Continuing through open countryside it passes under the A34 at [[Talke Pits]], turns south before meeting the [[Tunstall Western Bypass]] and enters the north of Stoke-on-Trent.  Now continuing in an [[Urban area|urban]] setting it runs between Newcastle and Burslem, passing through the middle of the former [[Wolstanton Colliery]] before running east of Stoke's town centre.  Passing through the newest section in a cutting it emerges south of Stoke alongside the site of the [[Victoria Ground (Stoke)|Victoria Ground]].  Turning west it passes the [[Bet365 Stadium]] before leaving the urban area at Hanford, south of [[Trent Vale, Staffordshire|Trent Vale]].  It then runs through a cutting before meeting the M6 at junction 15.

==Junctions==
{{RJL|date=December 2021}}
{{GeoGroup|section=Junctions}}

{| class=wikitable
|- align="center" bgcolor=#00703c style="color: #ffd200;font-size:120%;"
| colspan="4" | '''A500 Road'''
|- 
!scope="col"| Northbound{{efn|name=direction|The route runs in a semi-circular direction in Stoke-on-Trent. The table has the northern terminus at the top.}} exits
!scope="col"| Junction
!scope="col"| Southbound{{efn|name=direction}} exits
!scope="col"| Coordinates
|- align="center"
| Nantwich, Stone A51<br>[[File:UK traffic sign 520.svg|x20px]]
| [[List of road junctions in the United Kingdom|Cheerbrook<br>Roundabout]]<br>[[File:UK traffic sign 510.svg|x20px]]
| ''Start of road''
| <small>{{coord|53.061379|N|2.488307|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, Cheerbrook Roundabout}}</small>
|- align="center"
| Crewe, [[Shavington]] [[List of B roads in Great Britain|B5071]]
| 
| Crewe, Shavington B5071
| <small>{{coord|53.070966|N|2.438407|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, B5071 Roundabout}}</small>
|- align="center"
|Crewe Employment Park A5020
| <br>[[File:UK traffic sign 510.svg|x20px]]
|Crewe Employment Park A5020
| <small>{{coord|53.071211|N|2.409407|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, Roundabout}}</small>
|- align="center"
| Start of dual carriageway
| [[File:UK traffic sign 510.svg|x20px]]
| Crewe, Weston [[A5020 road|A5020]] <br>[[Keele]] [[A531 road|A531]]<br>End of dual carriageway<br>[[File:UK traffic sign 520.svg|x20px]]
| <small>{{coord|53.068026|N|2.382885|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, A5020 Roundabout}}</small>
|- align="center"
|  The North West, Preston M6 <br> The South, Birmingham M6<br>Radway Green B5078<br>End of dual carriageway<br>[[File:UK traffic sign 520.svg|x20px]]
| [[M6 motorway|M6]] J16<br>[[File:UK traffic sign 510.svg|x20px]]
| Start of dual carriageway
| <small>{{coord|53.068645|N|2.333651|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, M6 J16 Roundabout}}</small>
|- align="center"
| [[Audley, Staffordshire|Audley]], [[Alsager]]
|
| Audley, Alsager
| <small>{{coord|53.067446|N|2.303009|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, Audley & Alsager}}</small>
|- align="center"
| [[Newcastle-under-Lyme]] <br>[[Talke]], [[Congleton]] A34
|
| Newcastle-under-Lyme <br>Talke, [[Kidsgrove]], Congleton A34
| <small>{{coord|53.062882|N|2.251854|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, Newcastle, Kidsgrove & Congleton}}</small>
|- align="center"
| Kidsgrove [[A527 road|A527]] ([[A50 road|A50]])
|
| [[Tunstall, Staffordshire|Tunstall]] A527
| <small>{{coord|53.054706|N|2.229023|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, Kidsgrove & Tunstall}}</small>
|- align="center"
| [[Wolstanton]] A527 <br>[[Longport, Staffordshire|Longport]], Tunstall, [[Burslem]] [[A5271 road|A5271]]
|
| Wolstanton A527 <br>Longport, Tunstall, Burslem A5271
| <small>{{coord|53.040181|N|2.215505|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, Wolstanton, Burslem & Longport}}</small>
|- align="center"
| Wolstanton Retail Park
|
| Wolstanton Retail Park
| <small>{{coord|53.032504|N|2.209067|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, Wolstanton Retail Park}}</small>
|- align="center"
| Newcastle-under-Lyme <br> [[Hanley, Staffordshire|Hanley]], [[Leek, Staffordshire|Leek]] [[A53 road|A53]]
| 
| Newcastle-under-Lyme <br> Hanley, Leek A53
| <small>{{coord|53.019534|N|2.204368|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, A53 Hanley, Leek & Newcastle}}</small>
|- align="center"
| [[Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire|Shelton]] [[List of B roads in Great Britain|B5045]]
| [[List of road junctions in the United Kingdom|Shelton New Road Junction]]
|{{no2}} No exit
| <small>{{coord|53.011879|N|2.196643|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, B5045 Stoke & Shelton}}</small>
|- align="center"
|{{no2}} No exit
| [[List of road junctions in the United Kingdom|Stoke Road Junction]]
| Hanley [[A5006 road|A5006]]<br>Stoke [[A52 road|A52]] <br>[[Fenton, Staffordshire|Fenton]], [[Longton, Staffordshire|Longton]] [[A5007 road|A5007]]
| <small>{{coord|53.008832|N|2.184970|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton & Longton}}</small>
|- align="center"
| Hanley A5006<br>Stoke A52 <br>Fenton, Longton A5007
| [[List of road junctions in the United Kingdom|City Road Junction]]
|{{no2}} No exit
| <small>{{coord|53.002750|N|2.179542|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, A5007 Hanley, Fenton & Longton}}</small>
|- align="center"
|{{no2}} No exit
|
| [[Heron Cross]]
| <small>{{coord|52.999264|N|2.179348|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, Heron Cross}}</small>
|- align="center"
| Longton, [[Uttoxeter]], [[Derby]] A50
|
| Uttoxeter, Derby A50 <br>[[Sideway]]
| <small>{{coord|52.990598|N|2.183254|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, Longton, Uttoxeter & Derby}}</small>
|- align="center"
| Sideway
|
|{{no2}} No exit
| <small>{{coord|52.988841|N|2.185464|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, Sideway}}</small>
|- align="center"
| Stone, [[Trentham, Staffordshire|Trentham]] <br>[[Trent Vale]], Newcastle-under-Lyme A34
| [[List of road junctions in the United Kingdom|Hanford Roundabout]]
| Stone, Trentham <br>Trent Vale, Newcastle-under-Lyme A34
| <small>{{coord|52.982137|N|2.199819|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, A34 Stone, Trentham}}</small>
|- align="center"
| Start of road
| [[M6 motorway|M6]] J15<br>[[File:UK traffic sign 510.svg|x20px]]
| [[North West England|The North West]], Preston <br> [[Southern England|The South]], Birmingham M6<br>[[Eccleshall]] <br>Newcastle-Under-Lyme [[A519 road|A519]]
| <small>{{coord|52.975916|N|2.223197|W|dim:4000_region:GB|display=inline|name=A500, M6 J15}}</small>
{{jctbtm|keys=incomplete|notes={{notelist}}}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{portal|Cheshire}}
*[https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=A500 SABRE Roaders Digest – A500]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070513170112/http://www.road-to-nowhere.co.uk/route-guides/A500.htm Road to Nowhere: A500]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060208040548/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5340.aspx Highways Agency – Pathfinder Project Scheme]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051205020827/http://www.a500.co.uk/ a500.co.uk – Contractor's Official Site]
* {{Mmukscaled|387897_345211|25|Map sources}}
{{GB A road zone 5}}
{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:5-0500}}
[[Category:Roads in England]]
[[Category:Roads in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Transport in Staffordshire]]
[[Category:Transport in Stoke-on-Trent]]