A405 road

A405
Major junctions
West end	Leavesden Green 51.6851°N 0.4136°W / 51.6851; -0.4136 (A405 road (southern end))
Major intersections	A41 M1 M25 A414 (previously M10)
East end	St Albans 51.7323°N 0.3451°W / 51.7323; -0.3451 (A405 road (northern end))
Location
Country	United Kingdom
Primary destinations	Watford
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones

Earlier route

The A405 is a main (dual-carriageway) road in Hertfordshire. Although now just five miles in length, it has been a longer road. As the North Orbital Road, it occupied the section of the M25 London orbital motorway from Junction 17 (Maple Cross) to the end of the spur to Watford, (which is now Junction 19) at Hunton Bridge. It being one of the first sections of the subsequent M25 to open to the public. It then followed southwards, the route of the A41 as far as the junction with Kingsway, turning eastwards towards Garston, north of Watford, flowing into the old route of the A412 towards Chiswell Green and St Albans, whilst linking with the M1 at Junction 6. The A405 carved a route to the south of St Albans from Chiswell Green to Junction 1 of the M10 and what was then, the A5.

From the junction with the M10 (which has now been re-designated the A414) known as The Park Street Roundabout, it continued as the London Colney bypass (opened in 1960). The A405 crossed what was then the A6, and continued eastwards to its termination at the junction with the A1 south of Hatfield.

This section, from The Park Street Roundabout to the A1, is now part of the A414, and is still called the North Orbital Road.

Present route

Nowadays, it starts as Kingsway at a grade separated junction with the A41 in the borough of Watford in Hertfordshire. It passes between the Watford districts of Woodside and Abbots Langley to the west, and Kingswood to the east. There is a crossing with Sheepcot Lane before the road meets the northern terminus of the A412 (for Garston) at traffic lights. After passing the Three Horseshoes public house on the left, then passing a primary school and secondary school on the left, and Penfold Park golf course on the right, it links with Junction 6 of the M1. The A405 then enters the borough of St Albans. Northbound traffic on the M1 cannot access the M25 at Junction 6a, a mile to the north, so M1 traffic has to access Junction 6 and use the A405 to reach the M25, and M25 traffic has to use the A405 to reach the M1 south. To the east of this section between the M1 and M25 is the village of Bricket Wood. The road meets the M25 at Junction 21a. It is not possible to join the M25 anti-clockwise here, as the slip road joins the M25 after the slip road from the M25 to the M1 northbound. After the M25, there are two roundabouts, first with the B4630 (formally the A412 to Chiswell Green, and second with Tippendell Lane for How Wood. The A405 terminates now at what was Junction 1 of the M10 motorway|M10 (now part of the A414), at a roundabout with the A5183 Watling Street (formerly part of the A5) and the eastbound A414, near Park Street.

External links

• Road to Nowhere: A405