A37 road

It runs north from the A35 at Dorchester in Dorset into Somerset through Yeovil and Shepton Mallet before terminating at the Three Lamps junction with the A4 in central Bristol. The road is entirely single carriageway, except in the Yeovil and Bristol built-up areas, at Ilchester (where it multiplexes with the A303), and north of Dorchester. The road is one of the main routes connecting Bristol to the county of Dorset and is also a popular non-motorway route from Bristol to Exeter and Cornwall via the A303.

From the Podimore roundabout northeast of Ilchester to Shepton Mallet the route traces that of the Fosse Way.

The road is subject to a stream of speed restrictions where it winds through a number of small villages. These parts of the road can be dangerous, especially where wide vehicles pass on sections where buildings are close to the road.

===1922 road classification===

The original A37 in 1922 started in Fortuneswell, Isle of Portland, however, the section to Dorchester

was soon renumbered A354, presumably to create a link between the major port of Weymouth and the A30 at Salisbury, from where the route would continue to London. Such a route has now been superseded by the M27 and M3.

One of the worst accident spots on the A37 was the A371 junction just south of Shepton Mallet. The junction was always very busy and suffered long traffic queues due to the nature of the road. The junction was also a point where traffic would converge or pass through from multiple locations, this was further exacerbated by the A361 Glastonbury junction which backed right onto the first junction. This muddled configuration resulted in numerous road traffic accidents, many of which were fatal.

After a long campaign for the junction to be replaced, a roundabout was constructed in 1999 significantly improving road safety and traffic flow. There have been few other construction schemes on the road in recent decades.

In recent years most of the overtaking lanes, provided on steep stretches just south of Bristol, have been blocked out with chevrons.

A potential extension of the Avon Ring Road (A4174) from the Hicks Gate Roundabout between Keynsham and Bristol to the A37 south of Whitchurch would provide a direct link to the M32 and M4 north of Bristol.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/whitchurch-hengrove-ring-road-development-2236722.amp|title = The new ring road and suburb that will change Bristol forever|date = 19 November 2018}}

{{clear}}

{{GBRinttop|length_ref={{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/50.7121361,-2.4731863/51.4445679,-2.5785612/@50.7398155,-2.5402362,12z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0?entry=ttu|title=Monkeys Jump Roundabout, Poundbury, Dorchester DT2 9DL, UK to Higham Street Green, Higham St, Bristol BS4 2BJ, UK|publisher=Google Maps|access-date=7 December 2023}}}}

{{GBRint

|county=Dorset

|cspan=3

|location_special=Winterbourne Market–Bradford Peverell–Dorchester boundary

|mile=0.0

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|35|A|352|B|3150|road|Bridport Road|A|354|A|31|dir2=south|to5=yes|city1=Honiton|city2=Poole|location3=Weymouth|location4=Blandford|location5=Ringwood|location6=Dorchester|city7=Winterbourne Abbas|city8=Bridport|city9=Winterbourne Monkton|city10=Puddletown|location11=Wareham|location12=Martinstown}}

|notes=Southern terminus; southern terminus of A352 concurrency

}}

{{GBRint

|type=concur

|location=Charminster

|mile=1.6

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|352|dir1=north|name1=North Street|city1=Charminster|city2=Cerne Abbas|city3=Sherborne}}

|notes=Northern terminus of A352 concurrency

}}

{{GBRint

|location_special=Frampton

|mile=4.6

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|356|dir1=north-west|name1=Dorchester Road|city1=Crewkerne|location2=Frampton|city3=Maiden Newton}}

|notes=South-eastern terminus of A356

}}

{{GBRint

|type=concur

|county=Somerset

|cspan=16

|location=Yeovil

|lspan=4

|mile=18.9

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|30|M|5|A|303|dir1=west|to2=yes|location1=Chard|city2=Crewkerne|city3=Exeter|city4=Taunton}}

|notes=Only A30, Chard, and Crewkerne signed southbound; southern terminus of A30 concurrency

}}

{{GBRint

|mile=19.3

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|road|Lysander Road (A3088 west) / Brunswick Street|M|5|A|303|to2=yes|city1=Taunton|city2=Exeter|location3=Chard|city4=Crewkerne|city5=Montacute|city6=Stoke-sub-Hamdon}}

|notes=Montacute and Stoke-sub-Hamdon signed westbound only; eastern terminus of A3088

}}

{{GBRint

|type=concur

|mile=19.9

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|30|road|Park Road|dir1=east|name1=Reckleford|location1=Town centre|city1=Salisbury|city2=Sherborne}}

|notes=Eastern terminus of A30 concurrency

}}

{{GBRint

|mile=20.1

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|359|road|Preston Road|dir1=north|name1=Mudford Road|city1=Frome|city2=Odcombe|city3=Montacute|city4=Queen Camel|city5=Marston Magna|city6=Mudford}}

|notes=Southern terminus of A359

}}

{{GBRint

|type=concur

|location=Ilchester

|mile=24.7

|mile2=25.4

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|303|M|5|A|358|dir1=south-west|to2=yes|city1=Exeter|city2=Taunton}}

|notes=To M5 signed northbound only, To A358 southbound only

}}

{{GBRint

|type=concur

|location=Yeovilton

|mile=27.4

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|303|A|372|road|Podimore Road|B|3151|dir1=north-east|dir2=north-west|to4=yes|city1=London|location2=Andover|city3=Langport|city4=Wincanton|city5=Sparkford|location6=Podimore|location7=Street|location8=Somerton|city9=Yeovilton}}

|notes=Yeovilton signed southbound only; northern terminus of A303 concurrency; south-eastern terminus of A372

}}

{{GBRint

|type=concur

|location_special=Pilton–Doulting–Shepton Mallet boundary

|mile=39.4

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|361|dir1=south|name1=East Compton Road|city1=Glastonbury|city2=Taunton|location3=Pilton}}

|notes=Southern terminus of A361 concurrency

}}

{{GBRint

|type=concur

|location=Shepton Mallet

|lspan=2

|mile=39.5

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|371|A|303|B|3081|dir1=south-east|to2=yes|city1=Castle Cary|city2=Evercreech}}

|notes=Southern terminus of A371 concurrency

}}

{{GBRint

|type=concur

|mile=40.0

|mile2=40.7

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|361|A|371|dir1=north|dir2=north-west|city1=Frome|city2=Shepton Mallet|location3=Wells}}

|notes=Northern terminus of A361 / A371 concurrency

}}

{{GBRint

|location=Ashwick

|mile=42.9

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|367|dir1=north|name1=Bath Road|city1=Radstock|city2=Oakhill|city3=Stratton-on-the-Fosse|location4=Bath}}

|notes=Only Bath signed southbound only; southern terminus of A367

}}

{{GBRint

|type=concur

|location=Ston Easton

|mile=48.6

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|39|dir1=south-west|location1=Wells}}

|notes=Southern terminus of A39 concurrency

}}

{{GBRint

|location=Farrington Gurney

|mile=49.1

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|362|dir1=east|city1=Midsomer Norton|city2=Radstock|city3=Frome}}

|notes=Western terminus of A362

}}

{{GBRint

|type=concur

|location=High Littleton

|mile=50.0

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|39|B|3355|dir1=north-east|to2=yes|name1=Wells Road|location1=Bath|city2=High Littleton|location3=Hallatrow|city4=Paulton}}

|notes=Northern terminus of A39 concurrency

}}

{{GBRint

|location=Chelwood

|mile=53.5

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|368|location1=Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Chelwood, Marksbury, Keynsham, Bishop Sutton, Chew Valley Lake}}

|notes=

}}

{{GBRint

|location=Bristol

|lspan=2

|mile=59.0

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|4174|M|5|M|32|M|4|A|38|A|4|name1=Airport Road / Wootton Park|to2=yes|location1=Bath|city2=Taunton|city3=Avonmouth|city4=Bristol Airport|city5=Brislington|city6=St Philip's Marsh|city7=Hartcliffe|city8=Bishopsworth}}

|notes=Only Bath, Taunton, and Avonmouth signed southbound

}}

{{GBRint

|type=incomplete

|mile=60.4

|road={{Jct|country=GBR|A|4|dir1=west|location1=City centre|location2=Knowle|city3=Totterdown}}

|notes=Northern terminus; no access to A4 east or from A4 west

}}

{{jctbtm|keys=concur,incomplete}}

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• [http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/roadlists/f99/37.shtml SABRE page on the A37]

{{GB A road zone 3}}

{{Transport in Bristol}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:3-0037}}

Category:Roads in England

Category:Roads in Bristol

Category:Roads in Dorset

Category:Roads in Somerset