A12 road (England)

A12 shield
A12
A12 London Road, Wrentham - crop.jpg
The A12 at Wrentham, heading toward Ipswich
Route information
Part of E30
Length118.8 mi[1][2] (191.2 km)
Major junctions
South-West end A102 / A13 in Poplar, London
Major intersections A11 near Stratford, London

A406 in Ilford
A127 in Romford
M25 near Brentwood
A414 in Margaretting
A130 near Chelmsford
A120 near Marks Tey
A14 near Ipswich

A146 in Lowestoft
North-East end A47 in Lowestoft 52°30′29″N 1°43′49″E / 52.508084°N 1.730146°E / 52.508084; 1.730146
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
Primary
destinations		Stratford
Romford
Chelmsford
Colchester
Ipswich
Lowestoft
Road network
← A11→ A13

The A12 is a major road in Eastern England. It runs north-east/south-west between London and the coastal town of Lowestoft in the north-eastern corner of Suffolk, following a similar route to the Great Eastern Main Line until Ipswich. A section of the road between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth became part of the A47 in 2017.[3] Between the junctions with the M25 and the A14, the A12 forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E30 (prior to 1985, it was the E8). Unlike most A roads, this section of the A12, together with the A14 and the A55, has junction numbers as if it were a motorway.

The 52 miles (84 km) section of the A12 through Essex has sections of dual two lanes and dual three lanes, with eight changes in width between the M25 to Ipswich.[4] It was named as Britain's worst road because of "potholes and regular closures due to roadworks" in a 2007 survey by Cornhill Insurance.[5] The A12 is covered by the National Highways A12 / A120 route based strategy.[6]

Starting just north of the Blackwall Tunnel, where it connects end on to the A102, it heads north through Bow and Hackney Wick, then north-east through Leyton and Romford, then into Essex, passing Brentwood and Colchester. In Suffolk, it passes Ipswich and Saxmundham, then follows the coast through Lowestoft before entering Norfolk, passing through Gorleston-on-Sea and ending at Great Yarmouth. In February 2017, the route was renumbered between Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft to become the A47. In June 2024, most of the A1117 was renumbered as the A12, incorporating the Lowestoft Gull Wing Bridge, where the A12 now terminates at the A47 in North Lowestoft.[7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Seg1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Seg2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Highways Agency Network Map". Highways Agency. November 2011. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  4. ^ "A12 report FINAL" (PDF). Essex County Council.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Motorists name A12 as worst road". BBC News. 26 February 2007. Archived from the original on 28 February 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2007.
  6. ^ "A12 / A120 route based strategy" (PDF). Highways Agency. March 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  7. ^ "The Lake Lothing (Lowestoft) Third Crossing Order 2020". legislation.gov.uk.