A5(M) Wellington Bypass

Where was it?

The Wellington Bypass, Shropshire. Or at least it should have been.

Should have been?

Yes - this was only ever a provisional number, and before construction was completed, it lost its "maiden name" and became M54...

Hmm, so there's nothing here to talk about then?

Not much, to be honest!

It's here because, well, I feel as if I ought to put it in - it is a "lost" motorway, even if it's a particularly dull one...

Anyway, to prove I'm not just making it up - here's the only evidence I've ever seen of the A5(M)'s existence.

Another item that may make the A5(M) sound more exciting is the fact that one of the plans for what became M54 was to build the motorway parallel to the current A5 from the M6 westwards, including a bypass to the north of Weston-under-Lizard, coupled with a bypass on the A464 around Shifnal to account for traffic from Wolverhampton needing to continue to use the old roads rather than the shiny new motorway.

You're really struggling, aren't you?

Absolutely!

Can I comment on this motorway?

Of course! Contact me and I'll put them here!

Have any other visitors commented?

"The Evil Scotsman" writes:

This one has bugged me for years!

What you've dug up with regard to the A5(M) rings a bell (albeit one tolling from a distance through fog..) I'm sure the 1967 AA road atlas showed the Atherstone by-pass as a very brief stretch of motorway - and not only on the regular map, but also on a line diagram of the A5.

In the same vein as the defunct A41(M) Tring by-pass, it was obviously part of a grander scheme, lost in the mists of time..

I only ever remember seeing it in that publication (I was 8 at the time) but I'm just SO sure! I've scoured the net to back this up - and learned a lot about Atherstone in the process - but nothing.

I keep checking Ebay in the scant hope someone has the above book going..

Tom Walker comments [March 09]:

When I first saw 'A5(M)' written here I thought it'd be talking about the A5 through Milton Keynes. The city planners envisaged the diverted alignment as an urban motorway, and the original idea was to retain the A5 number on the old Watling Street route (now called the V4) and call the bypass something new. (This was part of a plan to also build a similar east-west route for the A421, with an interchange on the western side of Central Milton Keynes). Even though the planned urban motorway ended up being a grade-separated D2 and the east-west route never happened at all, the dual carriageway is still known locally as the 'A5D' (D for diversion) and the old route, whilst not being the A5, is still referred to as such frequently.
 So, a different A5(M) but hopefully still interesting!!

A5(M)

Wellington Bypass

County:

Shropshire

Length:

5 miles

8 km

Built:

1975

Status:

Lost

Map Links:

Might Have Been Map

Present Day Map