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| Route information | ||||
| Length | 38.2 mi[1] (61.5 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end | Mottram Moor,Hollingworth (A57 near M67) 53°27′39″N1°59′46″W / 53.4609°N 1.9961°W /53.4609; -1.9961 (A628 road (eastern end)) | |||
| Major intersections | A57 A6024 A616 A629 M1 A635A61  A633 A6195 A638 A639 | |||
| East end | Pontefract (A639) 53°40′51″N1°18′48″W / 53.6807°N 1.3133°W /53.6807; -1.3133 (A628 road (western end)) | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||
| Primary destinations | Barnsley | |||
| Road network | ||||
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TheA628 is a major road connectingGreater Manchester andSouth Yorkshire inNorthern England. It crosses thePennine hills by way ofLongdendale and theWoodhead Pass in thePeak District National Park. The road's altitude and exposure to bad weather create problems in winter and the road is sometimes closed due to snow or high winds.
The road starts to the east ofManchester at the end of theM67 motorway andA57 road. It passes throughMottram in Longdendale,Hollingworth andTintwistle and then throughLongdendale in thePeak District National Park toCrowden and Salter's Brook Bridge where the road leavesDerbyshire and entersBarnsley Metropolitan Borough. From its summit the road descends throughMillhouse Green,Thurlstone, aroundPenistone before joining theM1 motorway at Junction 37.
From the M1 junction the road passes throughBarnsley,Cudworth,Brierley and aroundHemsworth (bypassed) toAckworth Moor Top ending inPontefract at a junction with theA639 road. The section from Ackworth Moor Top Roundabout through Ackworth has a 7.5 tonne weight limit because of a number of tight bends and narrow sections.
The Woodhead Pass section, while not formally defined, covers the section of the road that passes through the national park.
The A628 originated as asalt road accessing what was a valuable preservative in the 18th century. The route was used to transport salt from mines in north Cheshire to towns in Yorkshire. Construction of the western section of the road to Saltersbrook in the Longendale valley began in 1732 and the section to the east towardsDoncaster opened in 1740.[2] The road was improved and reconstructed as aturnpike road in 1844.[3]
A modern section of the A628 between Barnsley and Pontefract runs on the line of the formerHull and Barnsley Railway.
The road's altitude and its exposure to the weather over the Woodhead Pass creates problems in winter[4][5] when it can be closed because of snow or high winds.[6] The high altitude of the pass and its winding, narrow route through the Pennine hills makes travelling difficult, and the road is often closed. The alternative trans-Pennine route is a lengthy detour via theM62, 15 miles to the north. High winds along the pass cause HGVs to overturn or jack-knife, creating obstructions, and ice can make the road "like a skating rink".[7]
In 2015,Highways England proposed a £6 billion scheme to build a combined road and rail tunnel under Woodhead, which would be the longest tunnel in Europe. The plans were scaled back to involve a partially tunnelled scheme. Drivers are unimpressed with the slow progress in upgrading the pass, complaining the road "is currently about 30 years behind the times".[7][8]
TheLongdendale Bypass has been promoted as a project to remove traffic from the villages of Mottram, Hollingworth and Tintwistle, which lie between the M67 and the Woodhead Pass. The scheme has been perennially controversial. As of 2017, the project has no definitive start date.[9]
The A628 is mentioned in the 2001Human League track "The Snake", which suggests it as an alternative route from theM62 orA57Snake Pass. The road features in the filmHell is a City (1960) when robbers stop to dispose of a woman's body alongside the road.[citation needed]
A roads in Zone 6 of theGreat Britain road numbering scheme | ||
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