Queensway (Birmingham)
Encyclopedia
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, especially those which formed the A4400 Inner Ring Road
A4400 road
The A4400 was a main road in Birmingham, United Kingdom which previously formed a ring around the city centre. Junctions on the road were largely grade separated, with pedestrians kept physically separate from vehicular traffic and most junctions allowing vehicles staying on the road to pass over...
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The name is most often used to refer to the Great Charles Street Queensway tunnel, part of the A38
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
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The Queensways were built as dual carriageway major roads in the 1960s and 1970s, however in recent years many have been rebuilt and downgraded and now far more resemble city streets. These redevelopments were championed by the city council as breaking the 'concrete collar' around the city centre (especially in the Masshouse
Masshouse
Masshouse is a site within Birmingham, United Kingdom which is under development with the construction of 13 new highrise blocks intended for public services, commerce and residential purposes. When completed, the blocks will have a prominent position on the Eastside skyline.-History:The Masshouse...
area), with the aim of making the city more friendly to pedestrian navigation, and improving the aesthetic appearance of the city. Some motorists, however, bemoan the reduction of road capacity and point to the regular congestion which takes place on the remodelled sections.