A5183 (Great Britain)
Major junctions | |
---|---|
North end | A5 near Dunstable |
South end | Edgware, London |
Location | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Primary destinations | St. Albans |
Road network | |
The A5183 road is a de-trunked section of the A5. It runs largely along Watling Street from a junction with the A5 and A41 near Elstree to a roundabout north-west of Dunstable, where it joins the present-day A5 which was re-routed east towards the M1 motorway along a new link road opened in May 2017. The original renumbering, from M1 junction 9 to Elstree, was to prevent drivers of heavy southbound vehicles assuming that a low number '5' indicated a superior quality road which this stretch is not as it is narrow in many places.
The main beneficiary of this renumbering is the city of St Albans that used to be 'host' to both the A5 and the A6. A similar subterfuge has been made with that part of the A6, which is now renumbered to the A1081 road.
A bypass has been built around the small town of Redbourn. The former route of the A5 can still be seen passing through the middle of the town, now reduced to an unclassified road, called High Street and Dunstable Road.