A339 road

A339 road

The A339 road is a primary A-road in southern England linking Newbury in Berkshire with Alton in Hampshire. It provides a north–south corridor connecting Newbury Racecourse, the M4 motorway, and the A34 road at its northern end with Basingstoke and the A31 road corridor near Alton to the south. The route serves as a local distributor for commuter flows between Reading, Winchester, Southampton and regional centres such as Oxford and Portsmouth.

Route description

The road begins on the outskirts of Newbury near the A343 road junction and runs south through the Berkshire villages of Kingsclere and Tadley before entering Basingstoke. Along its alignment it intersects the M4 motorway via connections with Junction 13 area and links to the A34 road trunk route, the M3 motorway at Junction 6, and the A33 road urban radial into Reading. Within Basingstoke the corridor passes industrial areas near the Basing View business district and retail parks close to the Festival Place complex. South of the town the road continues through Greywell and Soke-adjacent countryside, meeting the A31 road near Alton and providing onward access to Winchester, Farnham, Guildford and the South Downs National Park.

History

The present course traces established medieval packhorse and coaching routes between Newbury and Alton that appear on early 18th-century strip maps and turnpike records kept alongside entries for John Rennie-era improvements. In the 19th century the corridor was used for stagecoach services between London and Southampton via Basingstoke and was later formalised as a classified A road in the 1922 Ministry of Transport numbering scheme alongside contemporaries such as the A4 road and A34 road. Mid-20th-century upgrades included carriageway widening near Basingstoke to serve new industrial estates tied to companies such as Toshiba Corporation and Ford Motor Company satellite facilities. Late 20th and early 21st-century schemes implemented junction improvements influenced by planning decisions at West Berkshire Council and Hampshire County Council and by national trunking policies associated with the Department for Transport.

Junctions and destinations

Key junctions on the route include connections with the A4 road at Newbury, the A34 road strategic link near M4 interchange points, the link to the M3 motorway at the Basingstoke periphery, and the southern tie-in with the A31 road near Alton. Intermediate destinations served are Newbury Racecourse, Kingsclere, Tadley, Basingstoke town centre, Basingstoke station (with services to London Waterloo and Winchester), and the market town of Alton with connections to Chawton and the Jane Austen heritage sites. The route also affords access to logistics hubs used by firms such as Amazon and distribution parks linked to Royal Mail operations.

Traffic and safety

Traffic volumes vary seasonally, with peak commuter flows to Reading, London, and Southampton corridors; freight usage increases on sections near Basingstoke where industrial parks generate heavy goods vehicle movements. Accident statistics compiled by Hampshire County Council and West Berkshire Council have historically highlighted collision clusters at junctions with the A33 road and several rural junctions near Whitchurch. Measures introduced have included speed limit enforcement supported by Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary operations, enhanced signing, and targeted engineering treatments using standards from the Highways England design guidance. Environmental noise and air quality concerns have been raised by local groups such as Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Sustainable Newbury in relation to congestion hotspots.

Future developments

Planned interventions under regional transport strategies involve targeted junction upgrades to improve throughput at the M3 and A34 interfaces, feasibility studies for bypass schemes around congested settlements including proposals debated at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council meetings, and active travel proposals promoted by Hampshire County Council and West Berkshire Council to enhance walking and cycling links parallel to the corridor. Broader funding and prioritisation will depend on allocations from the Department for Transport and the outcomes of strategic transport assessments associated with the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and the Solent Local Transport Body. Environmental appraisals for any major scheme would reference the South Downs National Park Authority and statutory wildlife bodies such as Natural England.

Category:Roads in Hampshire Category:Roads in Berkshire