A55 road

major road in Britain

The A55, also called the North Wales Expressway (Welsh: Gwibffordd Gogledd Cymru),[1] is an important road in Great Britain. It goes between Chester, England and Holyhead, Wales. It goes along the north coast of Wales for most of its route. For most of the route, it is a dual carriageway. Many parts of the road act like a motorway.

A55 shield
A55
North Wales Expressway
A55 road, Vicar's Cross 1.JPG
Looking eastbound at junction 40
Route information
Part of E22
Maintained by
Highways England
North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent
Length87 mi (140 km)
Existed1922–present
HistoryCompleted: 2001
Major junctions
West endHolyhead
Major intersections
J9 → A487 road

J11 → A5 road

J19 → A470 road

J33B → A494 road

J34 → A494 road

J38 → A483 road
/
J39 → A41 road/A5115 road

J40 → A51 road

M53 motorway
East endChester
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
CountiesIsle of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Cheshire
Primary
destinations
Holyhead
Bangor
Conwy
Chester
Road network
A54A56

It is also part of the European route E22, which links to Amsterdam, Riga, and Moscow. The route once went between Bangor and Chester, but was extended to Holyhead in 2001. This links to the Republic of Ireland through the Port of Holyhead. In total, the road is 87 miles (140 km) long.[2]

Junctions

change
A55 road junctions
km Westbound exits (B Carriageway) Junction Eastbound exits (A Carriageway)
0.0 Holyhead  ,   (Pedestrians)
  (Motor vehicles)
Fish quay, Park and ride,   Long stay
 
[coord 1]
Start of road
Local traffic  
TOTSO
Local traffic only
0.5 Town centre A5154  
TOTSO
Town centre A5154
0.7 Trearddur Bay B4545, Kingsland J1
 
Trearddur Bay B4545, Kingsland
1.2
2.0
Trearddur Bay A5153 (B4545), Parc Cybi, Penrhos Stanley  ,   Goods vehicles J2 Trearddur Bay A5153 (B4545), Parc Cybi
7.1
7.7
Valley A5 J3 Valley, Caergeiliog A5
9.6
10.2
Caergeiliog A5, Boderdern J4 Bryngwran A5, Boderdern
14.0
14.6
Rhosneigr, Aberffraw A4080, Bryngwran (A5) J5 Rhosneigr, Aberffraw A4080, Gwalchmai (A5)
23.2
24.0
Rhostrehwfa A5, Llangefni (A5114) J6 Pentre Berw A5, Llangefni (A5114)
27.8
28.6
Gaerwen, Pentre Berw A5152 (A5) J7 Gaerwen, Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll A5152 (A5)
31.3 Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll A5, Star J7A No access
32.9
33.4
Benllech, Amlwch A5025 J8 Menai Bridge, Amlwch A5025
33.8 Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll A5(W), Menai Bridge A5(E), Beaumaris (A545) J8A No access (on-slip only)
Entering Isle of Anglesey  
34.1
34.4
Britannia Bridge
  Entering Gwynedd
35.3
35.6
Bangor, Caenarfon A487 J9 Bangor, Caenarfon A487
36.4
37.0
Bangor A4087, Caenarfon (A487) J10 Bangor A4087
40.3
40.9
Bangor, Betws-y-Coed A5 J11
Services
Betws-y-Coed A5
43.6
44.2
Tal-y-bont J12 Tal-y-bont
47.2
47.5
Abergwyngregyn J13 Abergwyngregyn
48.9
49.2
Llanfairfechan J14 Llanfairfechan
Entering Gwynedd Entering Conwy
51.7 Llanfairfechan J15
 
Llanfairfechan
52.8
53.7
Pen-y-Clip Tunnels[3] 
53.8
54.2
No access (on-slip only) J15A Penmaenmawr
56.2 Penmaenmawr J16
 
Penmaenmawr, Dwygyfylchi
Services No access
57.8
57.8
Dwygyfylchi J16A No access
58.4
59.1
Penmaenbach Tunnels[3] 
60.4
61.0
Conwy A547
End of special road
J17 Conwy A547
Start of special road[4]
61.8
62.9
Conwy Tunnel[3] 
(53°17′15″N 3°49′26″W / 53.2875°N 3.8240°W / 53.2875; -3.8240 (Conwy Tunnel))
63.6
64.2
Conwy (A547), Deganwy A546 J18 Deganwy A546, Llandudno Junction (A547)
64.8
65.5
Betws-y-Coed, Llandudno A470 J19 Llandudno, Betws-y-Coed A470
68.7
69.8
Rhos-on-Sea (B5115) J20 Rhos-on-Sea B5115
70.6
71.0
Colwyn Bay B5104 J21 Colwyn Bay B5104
71.5
72.0
Old Colwyn (A547) J22 Old Colwyn (A547)
76.0
76.1
Llanddulas A547
Start of special road[5]
J23
Services
Llanddulas A547
End of special road
80.0
80.4
No access (on-slip only) J23A Pensarn, Rhyl A548
81.2
81.9
Abergele, Rhuddlan A547 J24 Rhuddlan, Prestatyn A547
84.6 Towyn, St. George J24A No access
Entering Conwy Entering Denbighshire
Services
86.7
86.8
Bodelwyddan, Glan Clwyd   J25 Bodelwyddan, Glan Clwyd  
88.2
88.8
St Asaph Business Park J26 St Asaph Business Park
89.9
90.6
St Asaph, Rhyl A525 J27 St Asaph, Rhyl A525
91.6
91.6
Denbigh A525 J27A No access
92.9
93.2
Rhuallt (B5429), Trefnant J28 Rhuallt, Tremeirchion B5429
96.7
97.3
Rhuallt, Tremeirchion (B5429) J29
Entering Denbighshire Entering Flintshire
99.0
99.3
Tremeirchion J30
100.3
100.8
Prestatyn A5151, Caerwys B5122 J31 Holywell A5026, Caerwys A5151 (B5122)
108.7
108.8
Holywell A5026 J32 Rhosesmor (B5123)
109.3
109.9
Rhosesmor B5123 J32A No access (on-slip only)
111.3
111.4
Pentre Halkyn, Rhosesmor J32B No access
114.6
115.3
Flint A5119 J33 Mold, Flint A5119
116.5 Connah's Quay B5126 J33A Northop Hall
Services
120.0 Mold A494 J33B No access (on-slip only)
120.5
128.8
Queensferry A494 J34
TOTSO[See notes]
Queensferry A494, Manchester (M56)
123.1
123.6
Buckley A550 (A549), Corwen (A5104) J35 Wrexham A550
125.3
125.9
Pen-y-ffordd A5104 J36 Broughton, Pen-y-ffordd A5104
128.5 Broughton (A5104) J36A No access (on-slip only)
128.6 Entering   Wales and Flintshire Border Entering   England and Cheshire
Wrexham, Chester A483 J38 Chester, Wrexham A483
River Dee
No access (on-slip only) J39 Chester A5115, Whitchurch A41
Chester, Nantwich A51, Whitchurch (A41) J40 Chester, Nantwich A51
Start of road M53 J12
[coord 2]
Chester, Helsby A56
Non-motorway traffic
Chester A56 Road continues as M53 towards Ellesmere Port
Notes
  • Data from location marker posts are used to provide distance and carriageway identification information. Where a junction spans several hundred metres and the data is available, both the start and finish values for the junction are shown.[6]
  • Totso = "Turn off to stay on" meaning that the driver must leave the main carriageway to stay on the specified (A55) route.
Coordinate list
  1. 53°18′32″N 4°37′44″W / 53.3089°N 4.6290°W / 53.3089; -4.6290 (Holyhead Ferry Terminal) Start of A55 - Holyhead Ferry Port
  2. 53°12′42″N 2°51′13″W / 53.2116°N 2.8536°W / 53.2116; -2.8536 (A55 Terminus - start of M53) End of the A55 - becomes the M53
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

change
  1. "The Chester to Bangor Trunk Road (A55), Talerdy Junction Phase 2, St Asaph - Environmental Impact Assessment". Welsh Government. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  2. "A55". IHT. Archived from the original on 31 December 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Tunnels". North Wales Trunk Road Agency. 2011. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 2011-09-04.
  4. "The Special Road (Glan Conwy to Conwy Morfa) Regulations 1990". www.legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  5. "The Special Road (Colwyn Bay to Glan Conwy) Regulations 1985". www.legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  6. "Resources". Traffig Cymru/Traffic Wales. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-22. Select Telephone & marker post locations.