 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 69 mi (111 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| Northeast end | Exeter 50°42′45″N3°27′55″W / 50.7126°N 3.4654°W /50.7126; -3.4654 (A379 road (northeastern end, M5 junction)) 50°40′24″N3°32′08″W / 50.6733°N 3.5355°W /50.6733; -3.5355 (A379 road (northeastern end, A38 junction)) |
| Major intersections |  M5A38  A3015 A381 A3022 A3122 A3121 A374 |
| Southwest end | Plymouth 50°22′13″N4°07′27″W / 50.3702°N 4.1243°W /50.3702; -4.1243 (A379 road (southwestern end)) |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Road network | |
TheA379 is a road in theEnglish county ofDevon. It links points on the edges of that county's two principal cities,Exeter andPlymouth, by an indirect and largely coastal route.TheA38 provides a faster and more direct inland route between Exeter and Plymouth, whilst theA380 provides a similarly faster route between Exeter and theTorbay area. However the A379 serves many small coastal communities and ports along the coast. The indented nature of the South Devon coast means that the road is usually out of sight of the sea, but the many rivers and estuaries are crossed by bridges and, in one case, acable ferry.
At its northeastern end, the A379 has two branches and two starting points. One branch starts with a junction with theM5 motorway atClyst St Mary (J30), whilst the other branch starts with a junction with theA38 atKennford. Both these branches were historically part of the A38, and the first crosses theCountess Wear bridges over theRiver Exe and theExeter Canal, once infamous for the delays caused on what was then the principal route to the holiday resorts of Devon andCornwall.[1]
From the junction of the two branches, some 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Exeter city centre, the A379 heads south parallel to the estuary of theRiver Exe. AtStarcross the road runs close alongside both theExeter to Plymouth railway line and the estuary, and theExmouth to Starcross passenger ferry provides a connection toExmouth on the other side of the estuary. Beyond Starcross, the road continues through the coastal resorts ofDawlish andTeignmouth.[1] From 1991 to 1997, there was a break in the road when the section of A379 between Dawlish and Torquay was downgraded to the B3199. The only remaining roadsign indicating this is a wrong direction facing B3199 sign on a lamppost in Teignmouth Hill, Dawlish.[citation needed]
Leaving Teignmouth, the A379 crosses the estuary of theRiver Teign on the historicShaldon Bridge. The road then continues into the large resort ofTorquay, where it meets theA3022 road. The two road designations share the same physical road through theTorbay area, although only the A3022 is signed. AtPaignton the two roads diverge, and the A379 follows a route throughGoodrington before briefly rejoining the A3022 atChurston.[1]
From Churston, the A379 bypassesKingswear before crossing thePaignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway on alevel crossing and reaching theDartmouth Higher Ferry on the banks of theRiver Dart. This tolled vehicular ferry carries the road across the river and into the picturesque harbour town ofDartmouth. From here the A379 continues viaStoke Fleming and then along the coast atSlapton. Here the road runs behind the beach, between the sea and theSlapton Ley lagoon. Turning inland, it then proceeds to the town ofKingsbridge at the head of theKingsbridge Estuary.[1]
From Kingsbridge, the A379 passes through the villages ofAveton Gifford, where it crosses theRiver Avon, andModbury, shortly after which it crosses theRiver Erme. The villages ofYealmpton, on theRiver Yealm, andBrixton follow. The road then runs into the suburbs of Plymouth, bypassingPlymstock before crossing the estuary of theRiver Plym on theLaira Bridge. The A379 ends on the west side of the Plym, joining theA374 just over 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Plymouth city centre.[1]
Apart from short stretches ofdual carriageway at either end and in Torquay, the A379 is asingle carriageway road, and is often narrow and twisting. Like all roads in England of any significance, it issealed throughout.[1]
The A379 crosses theRiver Dart using theHigher Ferry, a car ferry that until 2009 had a capacity of just 18 cars, which caused congestion at busy times. A new ferryboat with a capacity of 32 cars came into service in June 2009.[2] The alternativeLower Ferry can also be used, although this involves negotiating the narrow streets of Kingswear village.
Download coordinates as:
A roads in Zone 3 of theGreat Britain road numbering scheme | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
50°18′54″N3°37′17″W / 50.3151°N 3.6213°W /50.3151; -3.6213 (A379 road)