# A50 road

The A50 is a major trunk road in England between Warrington and Leicester; historically it was also a major route from London to Leicester.

## Route

The current A50 runs south-east from Warrington via Junction 20 of the M6, Knutsford, Holmes Chapel, Kidsgrove and Stoke on Trent to Junction 24 of the M1 near Kegworth, via Derby's southern bypass. From there it is concurrent with the M1 until Junction 22, where it runs into the City of Leicester.
The section from junctions 24a (in Lockington-Hemington) and 24 (in Kegworth) of the M1 is the former A6, and has not been widened. It has only three lanes westbound from junction 24a.
The Stoke-and-Derby section was originally intended to be part of an M64 motorway but this project was cancelled in the 1970s.

## Proposed development

In November 2013 it was reported that funding would be being made available for improvements to the section around Uttoxeter, with work starting no later than 2015/16. A few days earlier the MP was lobbying for the improvements, stating that improvements were needed to the traffic islands for safety reasons and to improve traffic flow. There are plans for 700 new houses to the west of Uttoxeter and to the south of the A50.

## History
### The old A50

Prior to the opening of the M1, the A50 route was one of two main routes from London to the north-west via Leicester, until it was replaced during the 19th century by what has become the A6. A third route between London and Leicester was via the A5 to Old Stratford, A508 to Market Harborough and thence the A6. That route and the A50 route both passed through Northampton which was a significant calling point on many coaching routes until the arrival of the railways.
Until the M1 opened, the A50 used to terminate at Hockliffe in Bedfordshire at a junction with the A5.
When the M1 motorway opened alongside the old route south of Northampton it was down-classified as:
* B526 between Northampton and the Newport Pagnell bypass.
* A509 between the Newport Pagnell bypass and Junction 14 of the M1.
* A5130 between Junction 14 and Woburn
* A4012 between Woburn and Hockcliffe.
From that point until the 1990s the southern point of the A50 was at a junction with the A508 in Kingsthorpe, Northampton.
In the 1990s, with the opening of the A14 and to discourage traffic from using the road between Leicester and Northampton, the old route was re-designated as A5199 between Leicester and Northampton.
At the same time the A50 became the A511 north of Leicester, between Burton upon Trent and Ashby-de-la-Zouch to Leicester when the dual carriageway section bypassing Derby was completed.

### The current route

Part of the route mirrored the plans for the original M64 motorway, with three lanes in some sections – notably between Kegworth and the A6 near Derby.
The new A50 route was opened in stages between March 1985 and 1999, with using various temporary designations:
* 1985: 9-mile (14 km) £16m Blythe Bridge – Uttoxeter section from the north-west.
* 1992: £2.6m Etwall bypass, opened as the A516.
* 1995: 6-mile (9.7 km) £30.4m Hatton, Hilton and Foston bypass, opened by John Watts as the A564.
* 1997 (June): 3-mile (4.8 km) £52m section 1 of Blythe Bridge – Queensway.
* 1997 (September): the £109.5m 14.9-mile (24.0 km) Derby Southern Bypass (opened by Helene Hayman, Baroness Hayman, Minister for Roads at the DETR), as the A564.
* 1997 (September): The A6 Derby Spur.
* 1997 (November): the 1-mile (1.6 km) £21m section 2 of Blythe Bridge – Queensway.
* 1998: 5-mile (8.0 km) £20.6m Doveridge Bypass as the A564.
* 1999: the delayed A50/M1 junction 24a improvements.
On completion, the Southern Derby Bypass was re-designated as the A50, being maintained privately by Connect A50 Ltd. Much of this new section of road is made of concrete.

## Junction list

| County | Location | mi | km | Jct | Destinations | Notes |
| Leicestershire | Leicester | 0.0 | 0.0 | | A6 (St Margaret's Way) – City centre, Loughborough | Southeastern terminus |
| Leicestershire | Leicester | 1.8 | 2.9 | | A563 (New Parks Way / Glenfrith Way) – Leicester (S & N), Glenfield | |
| Leicestershire | Groby | 3.2 | 5.1 | | A46 to M1 south / M69 – Newark, Anstey, Leicester (N) | Leicester signed southbound only |
| Leicestershire | Markfield | 7.9 | 12.7 | | M1 south – The South, London A511 west (Little Shaw Lane) / Cliffe Lane – Ashby, Coalville, Stanton, Thornton | Southeastern terminus of M1 concurrency; eastern terminus of A511; M1 junction 22 |
| Leicestershire | ​ | 7.9– 18.4 | 12.7– 29.6 | See M1 junctions 22-24A | See M1 junctions 22-24A | See M1 junctions 22-24A |
| Leicestershire | Kegworth– Lockington boundary | 18.4– 19.9 | 29.6– 32.0 | | M1 north – The North, Nottingham (N) A453 (A6 southlocation1=Nottingham (S)) | The North signed northbound only; northwestern terminus of M1 concurrency; southeastern terminus of A6 concurrency; M1 junction 24-24A |
| Leicestershire | Hemington– Castle Donington boundary | 20.4– 21.0 | 32.8– 33.8 | 1 | B6540 – Long Eaton, Hemington, Lockington, Shardlow, Castle Donington, Sawley | Hemington and Lockington signed northwestbound only |
| Derbyshire | Aston-on-Trent | 21.8 | 35.1 | | Shardlow Gravel Pit | No southeastbound exit |
| Derbyshire | Shardlow | 22.6 | 36.4 | Derby South services | Derby South services | Derby South services |
| Derbyshire | Aston-on-Trent | 23.5– 24.1 | 37.8– 38.8 | 2 | A6 north – Derby, Alvaston, Shardlow | Shardlow signed southeast only; northwestern terminus of A6 concurrency |
| Derbyshire | Swarkestone– Chellaston boundary | 25.7– 26.1 | 41.4– 42.0 | 3 | A514 to B587 – Swadlincote, Melbourne, Chellaston, Swarkestone, Allenton | |
| Derbyshire | Willington– Burnaston– Etwall boundary | 31.0– 31.8 | 49.9– 51.2 | 4 | A38 / B5008 to M1 – Birmingham, Burton upon Trent, Derby, Willington | |
| Derbyshire | Hilton | 33.5– 34.1 | 53.9– 54.9 | | A516 east – Derby, Etwall, Hilton, Hatton | Western terminus of A516 |
| Derbyshire | Foston and Scropton | 37.3 | 60.0 | | A511 east – Burton upon Trent, Foston, Scropton, Hatton, Tutbury | Foston signed northwest only, Tutbury southeast only; western terminus of A511 |
| Derbyshire | Foston and Scropton | 38.1 | 61.3 | | Foston, Boylestone | Southeast exit and entrance |
| Derbyshire | Foston and Scropton | 38.4 | 61.8 | | HM Prison Foston Hall | Northwest exit and entrance |
| Derbyshire | Sudbury | 39.3 | 63.2 | End freeway | End freeway | End freeway |
| Derbyshire | Sudbury | 39.3 | 63.2 | | A515 south / Aston Lane – Lichfield, Sudbury, Kings Bromley, Aston, Aston Heath | Aston and Aston Heath signed southeast only; southeastern terminus of A515 concurrency |
| Derbyshire | Sudbury | 40.3– 40.7 | 64.9– 65.5 | | A515 north – Ashbourne, Cubley, Doveridge | Junction; Doveridge signed northwest only; northwestern terminus of A515 concurrency |
| Derbyshire | Doveridge | 42.9 | 69.0 | | Doveridge | Junction; southeast exit and northwest entrance |
| Staffordshire | Uttoxeter | 44.1 | 71.0 | | To A518 – Stafford, Uttoxeter | |
| Staffordshire | Uttoxeter | 44.9 | 72.3 | | A518 west / B5030 – Uttoxeter, Rocester, Ashbourne, Stafford | Uttoxeter signed northwest only; eastern terminus of A518 |
| Staffordshire | Uttoxeter | 45.7– 46.1 | 73.5– 74.2 | | A522 – Uttoxeter, Upper Tean, Cheadle | Junction |
| Staffordshire | Forsbrook | 53.6 | 86.3 | | A521 north – Tean, Blythe Bridge, Cheadle | Blythe Bridge and Cheadle signed northwest only |
| Staffordshire | Fulford | 54.4– 54.7 | 87.5– 88.0 | | A521 / A520 – Cheadle, Stone | Junction |
| Staffordshire | Fulford– Forsbrook– Stoke-on-Trent boundary | 55.0– 55.3 | 88.5– 89.0 | | A521 north – Blythe Bridge, Caverswall | Junction |
| Staffordshire | Meir | 55.0– 56.2 | 88.5– 90.4 | | A520 – Leek, Stone, Meir | Junction |
| Staffordshire | Longton | 56.0– 56.9 | 90.1– 91.6 | | A5007 west – Normacot, Longton (E) | Junction; eastern terminus of A5007 |
| Staffordshire | Longton | 56.5– 57.3 | 90.9– 92.2 | | A5005 / A5035 / B5039 – Longton, Stone, Trentham | Junction |
| Staffordshire | Heron Cross | 57.7– 57.9 | 92.9– 93.2 | | M6 / A34 – Stone, Newcastle upon Tyne | |
| Staffordshire | Fenton | 58.3 | 93.8 | | King Street (A5007 east) – Longton | Longton signed northwest only; southeastern terminus of A5007 concurrency |
| Staffordshire | Fenton | 58.5 | 94.1 | | City Road (A5007 west) – Stoke | Northwestern terminus of A5007 concurrency |
| Staffordshire | Hanley | 60.4 | 97.2 | | A52 (Leek Road) to M6 / A53 – Newcastle-under-Lyme, Ashbourne, Leek, Stoke, Bucknall, Milton | |
| Staffordshire | Hanley | 60.9 | 98.0 | | A5008 west to M6 – Newcastle-under-Lyme | Newcastle signed northwest only; southeastern terminus of A5008 concurrency |
| Staffordshire | Hanley | 61.2 | 98.5 | | Bucknall New Road (A5008 east) / A52 / A53 – Ashbourne, Leek | Northwestern terminus of A5008 concurrency |
| Staffordshire | Hanley | 61.7 | 99.3 | | Hanover Street (A5006 south) – City centre | City centre signed northwest only; northern terminus of A5006 |
| Staffordshire | Hanley | 62.1 | 99.9 | | A53 (Cobridge Road / Elder Road) to M6 / A500 – Newcastle, Leek, Etruria, Stoke, Milton | |
| Staffordshire | Tunstall | 63.8 | 102.7 | | Williamson Street (A5271 south) – Longport, Stoke | Destinations signed northwest only; southeastern terminus of A5271 concurrency |
| Staffordshire | Tunstall | 64.1 | 103.2 | | The Boulevard (A5271 north) to A527 – Biddulph | Information signed northwest only; northwestern terminus of A5271 concurrency |
| Staffordshire | Tunstall | 64.9 | 104.4 | | A527 (Reginald Mitchell Way / James Brindley Way) to M6 / A500 – Newcastle | |
| Cheshire | Church Lawton | 67.6 | 108.8 | | A34 (Congleton Road) to M6 – Newcastle-under-Lyme, Birmingham, Congleton, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Scholar Green | Birmingham signed northwest only, Stoke southeast only |
| Cheshire | Church Lawton | 68.9 | 110.9 | | A5011 south (Linley Road) / B5077 (Crewe Road) / M6 / A34 / A500 / A532 – Newcastle | Northern terminus of A5011 |
| Cheshire | Rode Heath | 69.7 | 112.2 | | A533 northwest (Sandbach Road) – Sandbach, Northwich | Southeastern terminus of A533 |
| Cheshire | Arclid | 73.3 | 118.0 | | A534 (Congleton Road / Spark Lane) / M6 / A34 / A5061 – Nantwich, Warrington, Congleton, Sandbach, Crewe | |
| Cheshire | Brererton | 74.6 | 120.1 | | A5022 south (Holmes Chapel Road) to M6 / A534 / A500 – Sandbach, Crewe, Nantwich, Stoke | Information signed northwest only; northern terminus of A5022 |
| Cheshire | Holmes Chapel | 76.7 | 123.4 | | A54 / M6 / A5061 / A51 / A535 / A537 – Middlewich, Congleton, Warrington, Chester, Alderley Edge, Macclesfield | Only Congleton and Middlewich signed southeast |
| Cheshire | Holmes Chapel | 76.9 | 123.8 | | A535 north (Macclesfield Road) to A537 – Macclesfield | Southern terminus of A535 |
| Cheshire | Knutsford | 84.9 | 136.6 | | A537 east (Adams Hill) to B5085 / B5086 – Macclesfield, Mobberley, Knutsford Town Centre, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow | Knutsford signed northwest only, To B5086, Alderley and Wilmslow southeast only; western terminus of A537 |
| Cheshire | Knutsford | 85.2 | 137.1 | | A5033 west (Northwich Road) to M6 / A51 / A559 – Chester, Northwich | To A559 and Northwich signed northwest only; eastern terminus of A5033 |
| Cheshire | Mere | 86.9 | 139.9 | | Mereside Road (A5034 north) – Bucklow Hill, Ashley | Destinations signed northwest only; southern terminus of A5034 |
| Cheshire | Mere | 88.2 | 141.9 | | A556 north to M56 – Manchester, Altrincham | Access only to A556 north; Altrincham signed northwest only |
| Cheshire | Lymm– Grappenhall and Thelwall boundary | 92.3 | 148.5 | | M6 to M56 / M62 – Birmingham, Preston, North Wales, Chester, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds | To M62, Liverpool and Leeds signed southeast only; M6 junction 20 |
| Cheshire | Grappenhall | 94.1 | 151.4 | | A56 (Chester Road / Stockport Road) to M56 / A533 – Stockton Heath, Lymm, Runcorn, Manchester, Chester | To M6, Runcorn and Manchester signed northwest only, Chester southeast only |
| Cheshire | Warrington | 95.2 | 153.2 | | A5061 west – Town centre | Eastern terminus of A5061 |
| Cheshire | Warrington | 96.6 | 155.5 | | A57 (Manchester Road) to M6 – Town centre, Manchester, Irlam | Manchester signed northwest only, Irlam southeast only |
| Cheshire | Warrington | 97.1 | 156.3 | | A574 north (Birchwood Way) to M62 – Leigh, Manchester, Padgate, Birchwood | Southeastern terminus of A574 concurrency |
| Cheshire | Warrington | 98.2 | 158.0 | | A49 (Winwick Road (A574 south)) to Hawley's Lane / M62 / M6 – Town centre, Wigan, Winwick, Dallam | Northwestern terminus; northwestern terminus of A574 concurrency |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access |||||||

## Incidents

* In 2008, two mentally ill Swedish sisters, Ursula and Sabina Eriksson, caused mayhem on the nearby M6, and one of them jumped from an overpass on the A50.
* On 15 April 2018, a police pursuit on the road ended in a collision between two cars near Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. A man was killed and three others were injured, one critically. Staffordshire Police's Collision Investigation Unit and the Independent Office for Police Conduct are both investigating.