A390 road

A390 road
Country	England
Route	390
Direction a	West
Direction b	East

A390 road

The A390 road is a primary arterial route in south-west England linking parts of Cornwall and Devon via key towns and transport hubs. The road connects urban centres, market towns and coastal communities, intersecting major historic routes such as the A30 road and the M5 motorway corridor, and it provides access to heritage sites like Tregoney and Royal Cornwall Hospital. It plays a strategic role for freight movements to ports including Falmouth and passenger links to rail nodes such as Truro railway station and Saltash railway station.

Route

The A390 runs from near the A30 road junction at the western fringes of the City of Truro area, passing through or adjacent to Threemilestone, Royal Cornwall Hospital, and the centre of Truro itself before heading south-west toward Falmouth and west to Penzance. Along its corridor the road serves the port town of Falmouth, the university campus at Penryn and the market town of Camborne. As it progresses eastwards it approaches the border with Devon close to Launceston and interchanges with routes leading north to Newquay and west toward St Ives. The A390 crosses river valleys, including tributaries of the River Fal, and negotiates the Cornish rural landscape near heritage attractions such as Trelissick and industrial sites around Redruth.

History

The modern alignment evolved from turnpike-era roads that connected the mining districts of Cornwall and market towns established in the medieval period such as Helston and St Austell. Improvements in the 19th century were influenced by traffic to ports including Penzance and by the rise of metalliferous mining centred on Camborne and Redruth. In the 20th century the route was upgraded to accommodate motorised vehicles and to link new healthcare and education facilities like Royal Cornwall Hospital and institutions associated with University of Exeter outreach in Cornwall. Postwar planning linked the road to strategic trunk routes such as the A30 road and regional freight access to the Port of Falmouth. More recent changes reflect de-trunking policies and local authority interventions in Cornwall Council transport planning.

Junctions and connections

The A390 intersects major roads and transport nodes that include the A30 road at a key interchange west of Truro, the A38 road corridor via feeder routes, and local links to the B3297 and B3275 serving coastal resorts such as Perranporth and Mevagissey. Junctions provide direct access to rail stations like Truro railway station and intermodal connections for freight heading to the Port of Falmouth and ferry points serving the Isles of Scilly from Penzance and surrounding ports. The route forms part of a network with arterial links to Newquay Airport and bus interchanges at hubs such as Redruth bus station and Falmouth bus station.

Traffic and safety

Traffic volumes on the A390 vary seasonally, with peaks during summer tourist flows to Cornwall coastal attractions such as St Michael's Mount and heritage railways like the West Cornwall Railway. Congestion hotspots include urban centres around Truro and approaches to ferry termini at Falmouth and Penzance. Safety challenges reflect mixed traffic of heavy freight serving mining legacy industries and hired coach flows to Land's End and leisure destinations. Road safety interventions have involved speed limit reviews near schools and hospitals including Royal Cornwall Hospital, and collision remediation works at junctions close to Redruth and Camborne.

Public transport and services along the route

The A390 corridor supports scheduled bus services operated by regional companies linking communities to railheads such as St Austell railway station and leisure sites including Eden Project. Coach services provide longer-distance connections to urban centres like Plymouth and Bristol Parkway, while community transport schemes serve outlying villages near Treliske and Veryan. Park-and-ride facilities at locations adjacent to the A30 road interchange support commuter flows into Truro city centre. Emergency and healthcare access is facilitated by ambulance routes to Royal Cornwall Hospital and by proximity to ambulance stations coordinated with South Western Ambulance Service.

Future developments and improvements

Planned and proposed works involve capacity and safety upgrades promoted by Cornwall Council and regional transport bodies to address congestion, resilience and sustainable travel objectives linked to national strategies such as those advanced by Department for Transport. Schemes under consideration include junction reconfigurations near Truro, improved cycling and pedestrian infrastructure to connect campuses such as Falmouth University and Penryn Campus, and targeted resurfacing and drainage works to mitigate flood risk from the River Fal catchment. Proposals also consider bus priority measures to improve links to rail stations like Truro railway station and freight management initiatives to balance commercial access to the Port of Falmouth with community amenity protection.

Category:Roads in Cornwall