The A17 road is a mostly
single carriageway
A single carriageway (British English) or Undivided highway (American English) is a road with one, two or more lanes arranged within a one carriageway with no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic. A single-track road has a s ...
road linking
Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...
in
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, to
King's Lynn in
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
. It stretches for a distance of 62 miles travelling across the flat
fen
A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich Groundwater, ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as ...
landscapes of southern Lincolnshire and western Norfolk and links the
East Midlands with
East Anglia. The road is notable for its numerous roundabouts and notoriously dangerous staggered junctions and also for its most famous landmark, the
Cross Keys Bridge at
Sutton Bridge
Sutton Bridge is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A17 road, north from Wisbech and west from King's Lynn. The village includes a commercial dock on the west bank of th ...
close to the
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
/
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the ...
/
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
borders which carries the road over the
River Nene
The River Nene ( or : see below) is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in Northamptonshire.OS Explorer Map sheet 223, Northampton & Market Harborough, Brixworth & Pitsford Water. The river is about long, about of w ...
.
Usage
The A17 is a major route for
large goods vehicles (LGV) accessing Lincolnshire and Norfolk from northern England and the Midlands and is also a major holiday route particularly in the summer months for cars and caravans making their way from the north of England to East Anglian seaside resorts of
Hunstanton,
Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea is a port town on the north coast of Norfolk, England.
The civil parish has an area of and in 2001 had a population of 2,451,Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household c ...
,
Sheringham
Sheringham (; population 7,367) is an English seaside town within the county of Norfolk, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East''. . The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban Distr ...
,
Cromer
Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is north of Norwich, north-northeast of London and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline.
The local government authorities are Nor ...
and
Great Yarmouth as it one of only two direct routes which link
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
with the
A1, the other being the
A47. The A17 has very few stretches of dual-carriageway (four in total) with the longest being the Sleaford bypass which is long with the second-longest at Beckingham which is just long and the other two stretches are at roundabouts in
Long Sutton and
Sutton Bridge
Sutton Bridge is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A17 road, north from Wisbech and west from King's Lynn. The village includes a commercial dock on the west bank of th ...
both of which are under long. In addition, there are several stretches of dual carriageway at junctions. It is one of two main routes for residents of
East Anglia to get to the
north of England (and vice versa). The other is the
A47 via Peterborough, which is a longer route but has more dual carriageway, particularly around Peterborough, though it too remains mostly single carriageway.
The A17 was formerly a trunk road, but was reclassified as a principal road (maintained by the local authority) in 2002. The A47 retains trunk road status as far as its junction with the A1.
Hazards
The road carries more traffic than it was designed to carry. It also carries many goods vehicles that must travel at or below on the stretches of single carriageway. Impatient drivers take risks when gaps in the oncoming traffic allow. In the summer there are many caravans travelling to
Great Yarmouth and the north Norfolk coast. The main meeting points at roundabouts of the A52, A15, and A16 routinely cause long queues. The section through
South Holland is also heavily used by tractors.
History
The western end of the road formerly began at the former A46 junction in
Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...
where Queens Road met North Gate (former A46). It then followed Sleaford Road and Beacon Hill Road, meeting the A1 and passing through
Coddington as Beckingham Road then Sleaford Lane. On the former section in Newark, when the Beacon Hill Bridge over the
East Coast Main Line was replaced, the explosion to demolish the old bridge on 12 November 1961 put four construction workers in hospital.
The Route
Winthorpe to Sleaford
The western end begins in
Winthorpe, Nottinghamshire
Winthorpe is a village located northeast of Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 650.
The name is probably from old English wynne þrop ( thorp), hamlet of joy.
Winthorpe has a village hall, a loca ...
, on the eastern side of the Newark bypass, where it meets the
A46 at a roundabout, with access to the
A1. This section passes over the former
RAF Winthorpe (now
Newark Air Museum
Newark Air Museum is an air museum located on a former Royal Air Force station at Winthorpe, near Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, England. The museum contains a variety of aircraft.
History
The airfield was known as RAF Winthorpe during ...
, and there is a roundabout for Newlink Business Park. It meets the former route from Coddington at the Coddington Moor roundabout]. From College Plantation to Beckingham Bridge over the
River Witham
The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at , passes through the centre of Grantham (where it may be closely followed using the Riversi ...
, the road follows the boundary between Lincolnshire (to the north) and Nottinghamshire (to the south), slightly to the north. The road also enters
North Kesteven
North Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. The district is located to the east of Nottinghamshire, north-east of Leicestershire and south of the city of Lincoln. Its council, North Kesteven District Council, is b ...
. It crosses the
River Witham
The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at , passes through the centre of Grantham (where it may be closely followed using the Riversi ...
as part of the dual-carriageway
Beckingham Bypass which was built in 1972 at a cost of £600,000, where there is a left turn for
Carlton-le-Moorland. It returns to its former route and passes cross-roads for access to Brant Broughton and Stragglethorpe. This is one of the most accident-prone junctions in Lincolnshire. It passes across Leadenham Low Fields, with the
Lincoln Cliff
The Lincoln Cliff or Lincoln Edge is a portion of a major escarpment that runs north–south through Lindsey and Kesteven in central Lincolnshire and is a prominent landscape feature in a generally flat portion of the county. Towards its northe ...
seen in the distance.
Leadenham is built on the side of the Lincoln Cliff, which the road no longer passes through, which gives access to the
A607. In March 1995, the £3.3 million bypass was opened and the route passes through Leadenham Park to the south of the village. It ascends the Lincoln Cliff as a three lane road (
2+1 road
2+1 road is a specific category of three-lane road, consisting of two lanes in one direction and one lane in the other, alternating every few kilometres, and usually separated with a steel cable barrier. The second lane allows faster-moving ...
), and passes under the A607 where there is no junction. The Leadenham Bypass had been planned for over thirty years, and had started out as a dual carriageway which would have been the safest option (but more expensive) for the amount of traffic that the road carries. At the point where it crosses the former Grantham to Lincoln Line, it enters
South Kesteven, at
Fulbeck
Fulbeck is a small village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population (including Byards Leap) taken at the 2011 census was 513. The village is on the A607, north from Grantham and north-west from ...
. There is an embankment as it ascends the rest of the Lincoln Cliff at Fulbeck Hilltop Plantation, and follows a former country lane east of Fulbeck. It meets the former route (with access for Pottergate Road to
Wellingore, and the A607) and passes across Fulbeck Heath.
At
Cranwell and Byard's Leap, it re-enters
North Kesteven
North Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. The district is located to the east of Nottinghamshire, north-east of Leicestershire and south of the city of Lincoln. Its council, North Kesteven District Council, is b ...
at the line of the north–south
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London ('' Londinium'') to Lincoln (''Lindum Colonia'') and York (''Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earningas' ...
(now the
Viking Way). The road used to briefly follow Ermine Street southwards to
Byard's Leap with its cafe, and then eastwards to the current route at the B1429 junction. The road now passes slightly further to the north, with a right turn for the
B6403, and a left turn for the B1429 for
RAF Cranwell. In
North Rauceby
North Rauceby is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated north-west from Sleaford, and at the 2011 census had 159 residents.
North Rauceby is a shrunken village, being associated wi ...
, it passes along the southern edge of the airfield. There is a crossroads for
Cranwell, to the left, and North Rauceby, to the south.
Sleaford to Swineshead
It meets the north–south
A15 at the Holdingham Roundabout, near the Jolly Scotchman (on the B1518 – the former route). There is the Sleaford
Little Chef
Little Chef was a chain of restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 by entrepreneur Sam Alper, who was inspired by American diners. The chain was famous for the "Olympic Breakfast" – its version of a full English – as well as it ...
, the Sleaford
Travelodge
Travelodge (formerly TraveLodge) refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and several countries in Asia. However, ma ...
, and the
TOTAL Holdingham Service Station. On the former route to Sleaford there is a
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...
and the
Texaco
Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company unt ...
Hockmeyer Motors. Sleaford was bypassed by the A17 on 27 March 1975, when opened by
Joseph Godber. The section from the A15 to the A153 had earlier been opened on 14 November 1973. It is the only substantial section of dual-carriageway on the route, and the main opportunity to overtake caravans and lorries. There is the
grade-separated Bone Mill Junction with the
A153, which shares the route from Holdingham, and the B1517 for Sleaford. It crosses the
Peterborough to Lincoln Line, then the
River Slea and the
Spires and Steeples Trail. East of here to the road's eastern terminus, the landscape is flat. At
Kirkby la Thorpe i
meetsthe former route from Sleaford, near th
Queens Head The former route has a 13 ft 9i
low(railway) Boston Road Bridge, another important reason for building the bypass. From here to
Swineshead, the road follows the
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
from Sleaford to Boston. There is a left turn for
Asgarby, and a right turn for
Burton Pedwardine.
At
Heckington
Heckington is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated between Sleaford and Swineshead Bridge, and south of the A17 road. Heckington, with 1,491 households, is one of the largest vill ...
, the £2.5 million bypass was opened on 14 December 1982 by
Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey. The former route is the B1394, and meets the A17 east of the village at the point where it is crossed by a 400 kV pylon line. A mile east of Heckington, it crosses the
Car Dyke
The Car Dyke was, and to a large extent still is, an long ditch which runs along the western edge of the Fens in eastern England. It is generally accepted as being of Roman age and, for many centuries, to have been taken as marking the western ...
. There is a left turn for the B1395, for
South Kyme, and the road forms the parish boundary between Heckington and
Great Hale until the district boundary. At the Holland Dike, it enters the borough of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
(the former
Kesteven
The Parts of Kesteven ( or ) are a traditional division of Lincolnshire, England. This division had long had a separate county administration (quarter sessions), along with the two other Parts of Lincolnshire, Lindsey and Holland.
Etymology
Th ...
/
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
boundary).
At Swineshead Bridge there is a left turn for the A1121, for
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, and the road is crossed by the
Poacher Line
The Grantham–Skegness line, originally promoted as the "Poacher Line", runs for between Grantham and Skegness in Lincolnshire, England. Trains on this route originate from Nottingham via the Nottingham to Grantham Line as an hourly through se ...
at a level crossing next to the Barge Inn and
Swineshead railway station.
Swineshead was bypassed in 1985, and the former route leaves at the High Bridge Junction], passing The Ivy farm shop, which is sister to the Manor Farm Shop.
Swineshead to Long Sutton
At
Bicker, Lincolnshire, Bicker, it meets the
A52 at the Bicker Bar Roundabout, next to the
Texaco
Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company unt ...
Bicker Bar Service Station and Supreme Inns. The road meets its former route. At Bank House at
Wigtoft, there is a right turn for the B1181, for Bicker. Wigtoft itself is bypassed, to the south, by the £4.4 million Wigtoft-Sutterton Bypass, which opened in July 1995. At
Sutterton
__NOTOC__
Sutterton is a village and rural parish in the Boston District of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the Civil Parish at the 2011 census was 1,585.
Governance
The parish used to form part of the Boston Rural District, in the P ...
, on the bypass, it meets the B139
Spalding Roadat staggered crossroads, for
Gosberton
Gosberton is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated south-west of Boston, north of Spalding and north-west of Holbeach. The parish includes the villages of Gosberton Clough and Ris ...
, and Sutterton, which is the former A16 (Spalding to Boston). At Sutterton Roundabout, near
Algarkirk, it meets the
A16, which is built on the former
Lincolnshire Loop Line
The Lincolnshire loop line was a double-track railway built by the Great Northern Railway, that linked Peterborough to Lincoln via Spalding and Boston.
History
The Lincolnshire loop line was authorised on 26 June 1846 as part of the London a ...
, and there is the
BP Service Station and Sutterton
Little Chef
Little Chef was a chain of restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 by entrepreneur Sam Alper, who was inspired by American diners. The chain was famous for the "Olympic Breakfast" – its version of a full English – as well as it ...
on the left hand side.
It passes
Fosdyke to the west, where it crosses the
River Welland at Fosdyke Bridge, entering the district of
South Holland a few hundred yards south of the bridge near the Ship Inn. This was built as a swing bridge in 1911 but replaced in 1989 with the current fixed span. The loss of swing stranded the coaster, JonSue, on the landward side. In March 1991 the ship was holed and sank when, on a falling tide, she settled on a dislodged limestone boulder used to reinforce the Welland channel and was cut up on site later the same year. The Macmillan Way crosses the river via this bridge also. At
Moulton, there is a right turn for the B1357 for
Moulton Seas End. At
Whaplode as Washway Road, it passes Saracen's Head. At this point the former road passed through Saracen's Head,
Holbeach
Holbeach is a market town and civil parish in the South Holland District in Lincolnshire, England. The town lies from Spalding; from Boston; from King's Lynn; from Peterborough; and by road from Lincoln. It is on the junction of the ...
and
Fleet Hargate
__NOTOC__
Fleet Hargate is a village in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated east from Holbeach, and just south from the A17 road. It falls within the wider civil parish of Fleet, which stretches from Gedney to ...
. The bypass, New Washway Road from Saracen's Head to Laurel Lodge Farm, opened in 1989. It meets the
A151 on a newly built £5.4 million roundabout which opened in December 2017, and there is also a roundabout for the B1168 (the former route through Holbeach). At
Fleet
Fleet may refer to:
Vehicles
*Fishing fleet
*Naval fleet
*Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles
*Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company
Places
Canada
* Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet
England
* The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Beach ...
it passes a
Hawker Hunter installed near the road, and meets the B1515, the former route from Holbeach, west of
Fleet Hargate
__NOTOC__
Fleet Hargate is a village in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated east from Holbeach, and just south from the A17 road. It falls within the wider civil parish of Fleet, which stretches from Gedney to ...
. At
Gedney it meets the former route, with
St Mary Magdalene Church, Gedney
St Mary Magdalene Church is an Anglican parish church of medieval origin in Gedney, Lincolnshire. Renowned for its large size in the surrounding low-lying landscape, it is commonly known as the Cathedral of the Fens. It is a Grade I listed buil ...
seen to the south.
Long Sutton to King’s Lynn
It meets the B1359 (for
Gedney Drove End) at a roundabout. The Long Sutton-Sutton Bridge bypass was opened in 1989. It passes
Long Sutton,
Little Sutton and
Sutton Bridge
Sutton Bridge is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A17 road, north from Wisbech and west from King's Lynn. The village includes a commercial dock on the west bank of th ...
. It meets the B1390, for
Sutton St James
Sutton St James is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England, about south-west of Long Sutton.
Lying in the Lincolnshire Fens, Sutton St James did not exist at the time of the 1086 ''Domesday Book''. Su ...
, at a roundabout. It meets the B1359 (for Long Sutton), and the A1101, for
Wisbech
Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland port and civil parish in the Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bordering Norfolk and only 5 miles ...
, at a roundabout. There are two roundabouts where it changes direction abruptly and crosses the Cross Keys swing bridge over the
River Nene
The River Nene ( or : see below) is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in Northamptonshire.OS Explorer Map sheet 223, Northampton & Market Harborough, Brixworth & Pitsford Water. The river is about long, about of w ...
at
Sutton Bridge
Sutton Bridge is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A17 road, north from Wisbech and west from King's Lynn. The village includes a commercial dock on the west bank of th ...
. This bridge retains its swing function necessary for access to Wisbech port for pleasure craft and small coasters. It was constructed as a shared road/rail bridge with the single line rail crossing on the west side. With the closure of the line the A17 was increased to two lanes but this bridge remains a congestion point to this day. To the south is the
Sutton Bridge Power Station which is a major landmark along the route and following the river North for half a mile is the port of Sutton Bridge. Just east of the bridge the turning to the left provides access to the "Sir Peter Scott Walk" coastal path and "Snowgoose Trust" bird sanctuary.
The road follows an embankment close to the edge of
The Wash
The Wash is a rectangular bay and multiple estuary at the north-west corner of East Anglia on the East coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire and both border the North Sea. One of Britain's broadest estuaries, it is fed by the riv ...
, and at
Walpole Cross Keys
Walpole Cross Keys is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
It covers an area of and had a population of 469 in 182 households at the 2001 census, the population increasing to 518 at the 2011 census.
For the purposes of ...
it enters
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
and the district of
King's Lynn and West Norfolk. The £3.14 million West of Kings Lynn – County Boundary section was opened on 14 December 1982 by
Lynda Chalker, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey. In
Terrington St Clement, there is a crossroads at Balsam Field, for Tilney High End to the right, at which there is the African Violet Centre with a cafe. From this point all the way to the A47 junction, the road is the parish boundary between
Clenchwarton to the north, and
Tilney All Saints to the south. The former route passed through Terrington St Clement, Clenchwarton and
West Lynn. The improved follows the former
Spalding to
South Lynn, part of the
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR) was a railway network in England, in the area connecting southern Lincolnshire, the Isle of Ely and north Norfolk. It developed from several local independent concerns and was incorporated ...
(M&GN), which closed on 2 March 1959. Whilst the A17 has a chequered accident record, not a single passenger was killed on this former railway. It meets the A47 at the start of the
King's Lynn bypass at what's known as the "Pullover Roundabout".
References
External links
December 1983 House of Lords debate on the Fosdyke Bridge
{{DEFAULTSORT:1-0017
Borough of Boston
Newark and Sherwood
North Kesteven District
Roads in England
Roads in Lincolnshire
Roads in Norfolk
South Holland, Lincolnshire
Transport in Nottinghamshire
Transport in Norfolk