A421 road

UK road routebox
road= A421
length-mi=
length-km=
direction= east/west
start= A1 near St Neots
destinations= Bedford Milton Keynes
end= A43 near Brackley
construction-date=
completion-date=
junctions= ukroadsmall|1
ukroadsmall|428
ukroadsmall|6
ukmotorwaysmall|1
ukroadsmall|5
ukroadsmall|43 The A421 is an important road for east/west journeys across the southern midlands of England. Together with the A428, the A43 and A34, it forms the route from Cambridge through Milton Keynes to Oxford.

East to west

The road begins at the A1, just south of St Neots (and the junction with the A428 from Cambridge), at the Black Cat Roundabout. The road bypasses Great Barford (the bypass opening on August 24 2006) and Bedford to the south to reach the M1 at junction 13. From there, it swings up through the southern part of Milton Keynes, doubling as the local grid road H8 Standing Way. During this time it crosses the A5 (and connects to it via a short spur which is part of the V6 Grafton Street). Continuing westwards, it forms the Buckingham ring road before joining the A43 from Northampton on the outskirts of Banbury.

(From there, the route to Oxford and Southampton follows the A43 to join the M40 at junction 10, then leaves the motorway at junction 9 to become the A34 and Oxford bypass).

As of August 2006, the road is dualled as far as Kempston (western outskirts of Bedford), then single carriage to the south-eastern outskirts of Milton Keynes. It is dualled through Milton Keynes but resumes being a single carriage-way until the A43, apart from the short Tingewick bypass. The Highways Agency has plans [ [http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/4584.aspx Highways Agency - A421 Bedford to M1 Junction 13 ] ] to dual the road all the way between the A1 and M1 and on into Milton Keynes.

Five seconds of fame

The A421 Tingewick bypass, near Bicester has a minor claim to fame as the location of the then fastest speeding incident ever recorded [http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/news_info/planning/pdf/ar2003-04.pdf Thames Valley Police Annual Report 2003/04] by British police, in March 2003. Andrew Osborne, 31, of Leamington Spa, was filmed by a mobile speed camera while travelling at 157 mph (about 252 km/h) on a motorcycle. His friend Neil Bolger, 30, of Gaydon, was clocked at 148 mph (about 238 km/h). Both were convicted of dangerous driving, imprisoned for 28 days and banned from driving for two years (with a compulsory re-test).

Blind Driver

Blind Martine Brooks drove along the newly constructed A421 Great Barford Bypass (From the A1 Black Cat Roundabout to Bedford) and back to raise money for charity. The drive took place two days before the official road opening, and she was accompanied by Frank Branson (Mayor of Bedford), Steve Clarke (Teacher and Navigator), and Denise Hubbard (Driving Instructor and Car Owner).
She reached a speed of 65 mph before doing a flawless three point turn, and returning back to the A1.

External links

* [http://www.road-to-nowhere.co.uk/route-guides/A421/ Road to Nowhere: A421]
* [http://www.gbchallenge.info/2006 The Great Barford (A421) Driving Challenge]

References