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{{Short description|London to Portsmouth road in England}}
{{about|the A3 road in Great Britain|other roads named A3|List of A3 roads}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{infobox road
| country = GBR
| type = A
| route = 3
| map = {{maplink-road|from1=A3 road.map|zoom=7}}
| map_custom = yes
| map_notes = {{legend-line|#00CC00 solid 3px|A3|inline=yes}} {{legend-line|#555555 solid 2px|A397 (former A3)|inline=yes}}
| length_mi = 72
| direction_a = North-east
| direction_b = South-west
| terminus_a = [[City of London]]<br />{{coord|51.5108|-0.0866|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline|name=A3 road (northern end)}}
| destinations = [[Kingston upon Thames]]<br /> [[Guildford]]<br /> [[Petersfield, Hampshire|Petersfield]]
| terminus_b = [[Portsmouth Harbour]]<br />{{coord|50.7918|-1.1086|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline|name=A3 road (southern end)}}
| established = 
| history = 
| junction = {{jct|country=GBR|A|2|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|23|name= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|24|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|205|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|M|25|dab1=Great Britain}}<br/>{{jct|country=GBR|A|31|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|AM|3|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|27|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|M|27|dab1=Great Britain}}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|M|275|dab1=Great Britain}}
| previous_type = A
| previous_route = 2
| next_type = A
| next_route = 4
}}
The '''A3''', known as the '''Portsmouth Road''' or '''London Road''' in sections, is a major road connecting the [[City of London]] and [[Portsmouth]] passing close to [[Kingston upon Thames]], [[Guildford]], [[Haslemere]] and [[Petersfield]]. For much of its {{convert|67|mi|km|adj=on}} length, it is classified as a [[trunk road]] and therefore managed by [[National Highways]]. Almost all of the road has been built to [[dual carriageway]] standards or wider. Apart from bypass sections in London, the road travels in a southwest direction and, after [[Liss, Hampshire|Liss]], [[Points of the compass#32 cardinal points|south-southwest]].

Close to its southerly end, motorway traffic is routed via the '''[[#A3(M)|A3(M)]]''', then either the east–west [[A27 road|A27]] or the Portsmouth-only [[M275 motorway|M275]] which has multiple lanes leading off the westbound A27 &mdash; for non-motorway traffic, the A3 continues into Portsmouth alongside the A3(M), mostly as a single carriageway in each direction through [[Waterlooville]] and adjoining small towns. The other section of single carriageways is through the urban environs of Battersea, Clapham and Stockwell towards the northern end, which has to accommodate [[bus lane]]s and [[parking meter]] bays.
[[File:A3 Portsdown Hill Junction 5.jpg|right|thumb|The A3(M) at the Portsdown Hill Road Bridge nearing Junction 5 with the A27|alt=multi-carriageway road with vehicles passing under an elevated roadway and distant view of sea beyond]]
[[File:A3 North - approaching the Wisley Interchange.jpg|right|thumb|Northbound near the Wisley Interchange with the M25|alt=taken from a vehicle, a three-lane road with light traffic passing through wooded area]]

==History==
===Early history===
By the 17th century, the historic Portsmouth Road bore great strategic significance as the road link between the capital city and what became the settled main port of the [[Royal Navy]], as well as a non-military port like nearby [[Chichester]] &mdash; a petition was passed by The Queen for the expansion of the bench of justices of the town of [[Guildford]] along its route, in consideration of the importance of the Portsmouth Road, in 1603.<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol3/pp560-570 'The borough of Guildford: Borough, manors, churches and charities'] in A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3, ed. H E Malden (London, 1911), pp. 560-570. British History Online, University of Portsmouth, the History of Parliament Trust and others accessed 20 November 2016.]</ref> Many of the other towns and villages that the road passed through gained income and, in the case of towns, a market advantage as a result — principally in the history of [[Kingston upon Thames]], [[Godalming]] and [[Petersfield, Hampshire|Petersfield]]. The modern A3 follows the general route of the Portsmouth Road, but it [[Bypass (road)|bypass]]es many of the towns and villages along the way, leaving the various stretches of the old route for local traffic — for instance, the [[A307 road|A307]], its original course through [[Kingston-upon-Thames]] and [[Esher]], retains its name, Portsmouth Road.

The road was once the haunt of [[highwaymen]] such as [[Jerry Abershawe]], who in the 18th Century terrorised the area around Kingston and led a gang based at the Bald Faced Stag Inn on the Portsmouth Road. Another particularly dangerous location was in the vicinity of the wooded crest skirting the [[Devil's Punch Bowl]], [[Hindhead]], about {{convert|8|mi|km}} south-west of [[Guildford]].

===Later history===
[[File:Construction of the A3(M) - geograph.org.uk - 1002012.jpg|thumb|right|Construction in September 1979 of the A3(M)]]
A programme of road improvements, starting in the 1920s, transformed the road, so that it is now predominantly a two- or three-lane [[dual carriageway|carriageway]], bypassing the town centres; south of the [[South Downs]] National Park, it includes a section of [[motorway]], the [[A3(M)]], just before the road reaches the [[A27 road|A27]] at Havant. The construction of the Kingston and Guildford bypasses in the 1920s and 1930s made use of temporary [[narrow-gauge railway]]s to move the construction materials. The Esher bypass, between [[Hook, London|Hook]] from the first mentioned bypass to the [[M25 motorway|M25]], is three lanes with a motorway-standard hard shoulder; from there to Guildford the road has three lanes.

[[File:The A3(M) under construction - geograph.org.uk - 1002030.jpg|thumb|right|Construction of the A3(M) in 1979]]
[[John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu|Lord Montagu of Beaulieu]] stressed the urgency of building a Kingston bypass in 1911, but public funds were not secured before the onset of [[World War I]] and were not available in the aftermath.<ref>{{Cite Hansard|house=House of Lords |title=The Road Board |url= https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1911/nov/22/the-road-board#S5LV0010P0_19111122_HOL_25 |date=November 22, 1911 |column_start=282 |column_end=282}}</ref> By the early 1920s, traffic in Kingston town centre had increased by over 160% in 10&nbsp;years in the coaching town and the decision was taken in 1923 to revive the plans, with the contract worth £503,000 ({{Inflation|GBP|503,000|1923|r=-5|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).<ref>{{Cite Hansard|house=House of Commons |title=Arterial Roads - reply of the Parliamentary Secretary, Minister of Transport |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1923/mar/21/arterial-roads-london#S5CV0161P0_19230321_HOC_120 |date=March 21, 1923 |column_start=2541 |column_end=2541}}</ref> Work started in 1924, and it was opened by the Prime Minister, [[Stanley Baldwin]], on 28 October 1927. It ran for {{convert|8.5|mi|km}} from the Robin Hood Gate of [[Richmond Park]] to the outskirts of [[Esher]]. The opening ceremony concluded with refreshments for 800 guests in marquees near to the northern start/end. Its construction immediately attracted developments of housing where access was easiest. The [[Ribbon development|Restriction of Ribbon Development Act 1935]] came too late to prevent this private housing, which is apparent where the A3 winds through [[Tolworth]] and [[New Malden]], where the architecture includes concrete to [[art nouveau]] apartments{{#tag:ref|Main examples are Shelley Court and Byfield Court as to art nouveau by this stretch.|group= n}}, [[Mock-Tudor]] gabled houses and [[gable]]d [[Arts and Crafts movement]]-inspired houses. The final section of the Kingston bypass now forms part of the [[A309 road|A309]] thanks to the construction of the Esher bypass.

The complexity of the double roundabout at the junction between the A309 Kingston by-pass and the A307 led to it being referred to colloquially as the Silly Isles; later the junction officially adopted the name The Scilly Isles.<ref>{{cite journal |author=<!--Staff writer(s); Clip-On.--> |date=March 1963 |title=Comment by Clip-On |journal=Power and Pedal with the Scooter |publisher=Power & Pedal Ltd |location=London |pages=115}}</ref>

In 2011, the [[Hindhead Tunnel]] became the centrepiece of the Hindhead bypass, away from the road through the village, where the only urban set of traffic lights on the route outside London had created a bottleneck. Until 2011, the road through Hindhead was the last single-carriageway section of the route, outside London and Portsmouth.

==Route==
Once south-west of the Elephant and Castle in Southwark, the road follows a route roughly parallel to the [[Portsmouth Direct Line]] railway which goes through, rather than past, all of the towns which the road serves, with [[Havant]] and [[Woking]] {{convert|2|mi}} and {{convert|3|mi}}, respectively, off the road.

===Greater London===

The A3 starts at [[King William Street (London)|King William Street]] at its junction with [[Gracechurch Street]] in the [[City of London]], crosses the [[River Thames]] at '''[[London Bridge]]''' while entering the [[London Borough of Southwark]], and goes south-west along '''[[Borough High Street]]''' and '''[[Newington Causeway]]''' to the [[Elephant and Castle]] roundabout. It continues along [[Newington Butts]], and bounds then enters the [[London Borough of Lambeth]] on '''[[Kennington Park Road]]''' which becomes '''Clapham Road''' and '''[[Clapham High Street]]'''. The A3 then turns west (leaving as its straight continuation the [[A24 road (Great Britain)|A24]]) as '''[[Clapham Common]] North Side'''. Along this road, it enters the [[London Borough of Wandsworth]], after which it runs [[Concurrency (road)|concurrently]] with the A205 'South Circular' along '''Battersea Rise''', '''[[Wandsworth Common]] North Side''' and '''East Hill''', and goes through [[Wandsworth]], and then the A205 carries on west towards Richmond. On '''[[West Hill, Wandsworth|West Hill]]''', just east of the Tibbets Corner junction with the [[A219]] near [[Putney Heath]], the road increases from one lane each way to a three-lanes-each-way [[dual-carriageway]] and the speed limit increases from {{convert|30|to|40|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. The A3 then continues south-west between [[Richmond Park]] and [[Wimbledon Common]], as '''Kingston Road''' before beginning to bypass [[Kingston upon Thames]] while going through '''[[Roehampton|Roehampton Vale]]'''. The A3 enters The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames just before [[Kingston Vale]] where there is a junction with the [[A308 road|A308]] for Kingston upon Thames and Richmond Park.

For the first {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of Richmond Park, the A3 runs within {{convert|300|m|abbr=on}} of the [[Beverley Brook]], crossing it three times.  Although there is no point where the stream itself can be seen when driving along the road, the bridge [[parapets]] are visible and, for {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}}, where the road runs along the edge of [[Wimbledon Common]], the trees flanking the stream can be glimpsed across playing fields, with the lightly managed "natural" woodland of the common rising beyond.  Except for the playing fields, the whole of the common, including Beverley Brook, is both a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1004317.pdf |title=Natural England, Wimbledon Common citation |access-date=27 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024053604/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1004317.pdf |archive-date=24 October 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271004317%27 |publisher= [[Natural England]]|title= Map of Wimbledon Common SSSI}}</ref> and a [[Special Area of Conservation]] (SAC).<ref>{{cite web |title=Wimbledon Common |work=UK Special Areas of Conservation site list |publisher=[[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs|DEFRA]] Joint Nature Conservation Committee |url=http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0030301 |access-date=20 October 2014}}</ref> The speed limit then increases to {{convert|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} before going under the Coombe Flyover. The A3 then goes on a flyover at Shannon Corner located on the edges of [[Motspur Park]], [[Raynes Park]] and [[New Malden]], before having an additional junction for [[New Malden]], then [[Tolworth]] and [[Hook, London|Hook]] along the '''Kingston By-pass'''.

Brief features of a section of road contribute to a traffic pinch-point during [[peak hours]] around the Hook underpass. The road reduces from three lanes to two in the underpass. The speed limit at this point in the London-bound direction reduces from {{convert|70|to|50|mph|km/h}}, with the first of a handful of [[Gatso]] speed enforcement cameras. If returning to London, traffic from the A309 also joins just before the underpass.{{#tag:ref|This section except on bank holidays is busy weekdays from about 7:50am to 8:30am and from 5:15pm to 5:50pm.|group= n}}

=== Surrey ===

The A3's Kingston By-pass now ends sooner leaving a spur junction the A309 to the Scilly Isles junction near [[Sandown Park]], [[Esher]], its route instead becoming the '''Esher By-pass''' on the border of [[Hook, London]] and [[Long Ditton]], [[Surrey]]. Here the speed limit rises to 70&nbsp;mph, with 3 lanes and a motorway-grade hard shoulder.

After passing [[Claygate]], the motorway-standard section has junctions with the A244 between [[Esher]] and [[Oxshott]], then the A245 between [[Cobham, Surrey|Cobham]] and [[Hersham]].{{#tag:ref|Along this road are [[Painshill Park]], [[Brooklands]], [[West Byfleet]] and western [[Woking]]|group= n}} The road's '''Wisley Interchange''' with the [[M25 motorway|M25]] enables a flyover still with a {{convert|70|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} speed limit.{{#tag:ref|Hard shoulders, and outer barriers of the section thereafter are 'dual carriageway standard'.|group= n}} It bypasses [[Wisley]], [[Ockham, Surrey|Ockham]], [[Ripley, Surrey|Ripley]] (and [[Burpham, Surrey|Burpham]] which is a suburb of [[Guildford]]) before cutting through the major town itself as a dual carriageway and changing to a {{convert|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} speed limit.<ref>[http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2068829_signs_to_remind_a3_motorists_to_stick_to_50mph_limit "Signs to remind drivers to stick to the 50 mile an hour speed limit"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411232134/http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2068829_signs_to_remind_a3_motorists_to_stick_to_50mph_limit |date=11 April 2010 }}. ''Surrey Herald'' and ''Surrey Advertiser'' (getsurrey.co.uk) 6 April 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2013.</ref> It returns to {{convert|70|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} at the A31 and A246 junction before bypassing [[Godalming]] and [[Milford, Surrey|Milford]]. It continues through a tunnel at [[Hindhead]] (constructed in 2011 to improve capacity and bypass the [[Devil's Punch Bowl]]) before leaving Surrey.

===Hampshire===
The A3 enters Hampshire just after exiting the Hindhead Tunnel, passes [[Liphook]] and [[Bramshott]], turns [[boxing the compass|SSW]] past [[Liss (England)|Liss]], then passes [[Petersfield]]. The A3's original route between Hindhead and Petersfield, passing through several villages, became the B2070. At Liss, there remains an [[Intersection (road)|at-grade]] roundabout, the only such junction on the route. Over the [[South Downs]], it passes Clanfield and [[Horndean]]. From just north of Horndean, (still heading towards Portsmouth) the A3 separates from the [[#A3(M)|A3(M)]] (below) and continues as '''London Road''' as far as Hilsea, south of which it is Northern Parade{{#tag:ref|London Road continues as the A2047|group= n}}. It runs along the west side of [[Portsea Island]] which forms Portsmouth proper, roughly parallel with the [[M275 motorway|M275]], into the nearly waterfront centre of the city where, after passing the [[Cathedral of St John the Evangelist, Portsmouth|Catholic cathedral]], it meets with the [[A2030 road|A2030]]. Here, it reaches [[Old Portsmouth]], passing the [[Portsmouth Cathedral|Anglican cathedral]] and the 15th century harbour where it comes to an end at '''Broad Street'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.7925065,-1.1088757,3a,75y,353.04h,86t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sl9cK13UbFbbVmRDVOTCsQA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dl9cK13UbFbbVmRDVOTCsQA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D144.84067%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en-GB|title = Google Maps}}</ref> and [[Portsmouth Point]].

==Hindhead tunnel==
{{main|Hindhead Tunnel}}
[[File:Devil's Punch Bowl A3 Portsmouth Road 4.JPG|right|thumb|The A3 near Hindhead prior to the tunnel opening|alt=single-carriageway road with central double white lines and passing between trees]]

The [[Hindhead Tunnel]] is a {{convert|1830|m|mi|adj=on}} twin bore tunnel,<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3843.aspx 
 |publisher=Highways agency 
 |title=A3 Hindhead Improvement – The Tunnel 
 |access-date=18 February 2010 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310010839/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3843.aspx 
 |archive-date=10 March 2010 
}}</ref> which cost £371 million to construct, and is the longest non-estuarial road tunnel in the UK. [[Secretary of State for Transport|Transport Secretary]] [[Philip Hammond]] conducted the opening ceremony on 27 July 2011, though the northbound tunnel opened to traffic two days later than the southbound one, on 29 July.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3832.aspx |publisher=Highways Agency |title=A3 Hindhead Improvement |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629031024/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3832.aspx |archive-date=29 June 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=237687&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False |publisher=Government News Network |title=£371 million A3 improvements will go ahead |date=26 October 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310203914/http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=237687&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False |archive-date=10 March 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tunnels.mottmac.com/projects/?mode=type&id=3402|title=A3 Hindhead Tunnel|publisher=Mott MacDonald|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504015651/http://www.tunnels.mottmac.com/projects/?mode=type&id=3402|archive-date=4 May 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The new dual carriageway diverges from the original route where the old A3 began climbing sharply as it headed towards the scenic Devil's Punch Bowl. The old road now turns right and continues into Highfield Lane. From there, the remainder of the original road to Punch Bowl Common - a short distance north-east of the Hindhead traffic lights - has been completely ripped up and returned to nature. From the south, the short and largely built-up southern stretch of old A3 (now bypassed) runs up from the Grayshott exit into Hindhead and remains in use, but has been renumbered from A3 to [[A333 road|A333]].

==Proposed developments==

===Ham Barn roundabout, Liss===
Since the 2011 opening of the [[Hindhead Tunnel]], the modern route (or, in the case of the southernmost section, its associated motorway section) is at least dual-carriageway, but at [[Liss (England)|Liss]] is the sole at-grade roundabout. Widely considered the main traffic pinch-point and an accident hotspot (due to its unusual egg-shape and [[camber angle]] which can cause lorries at excess speed to tip over), there have been wide calls for its removal,<ref>[http://selborne.parish.hants.gov.uk/pdf/120308mins.pdf Selborne Civil Parish Council - campaign to replace or alter roundabout] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401025043/http://selborne.parish.hants.gov.uk/pdf/120308mins.pdf |date=1 April 2010}}</ref> the projected increase in traffic with the completion of the tunnel supporting the proposal. In November 2010, the [[Highways Agency]] announced it would discuss three options for the roundabout's future, but in December it announced that no change would be commenced before 2015:<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.petersfieldpost.co.uk/news/bordon/no_changes_for_a3_roundabout_1_2215626 |title=No changes for A3 roundabout |work=Petersfield Post |date=29 December 2010 |access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://www.haslemeremessenger.com/article.cfm?id=407&headline=Ham%20Barn%20Options%20Outlined&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2010 'Ham Barn Options Outlined'] 10 Nov 2010, ''Haslemere Messenger''</ref>

*full-time signalling,
*removing the roundabout entirely (and thereby removing the A3/B3006 connection completely),
*keeping the existing system.

===Cathedral exit, Guildford===
The slip road exiting the A3 leading to the [[Royal Surrey County Hospital]] and the [[Surrey Research Park]] regularly creates congestion on the main A3 during peak times, when the traffic queue reaches onto the main carriageway. In May 2011, it was announced that this is to be resolved with new improvements to the traffic system directly adjacent to the A3, with work funded jointly by the [[University of Surrey]] and [[Surrey County Council]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2092594_end_in_sight_for_guildford_traffic_hotspot |title=End in sight for Guildford traffic hotspot - News |work=Surrey Advertiser |publisher=getsurrey |date=13 May 2011 |author=Caulfield, Chris |access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref>

===Related urban proposals and developments===
Various schemes exist to manage urban traffic and economise land use, and include running park and ride services. The main such scheme along the route is in Guildford. In February 2015, the [[Mayor of London]] Boris Johnson announced plans to build over a short section at [[Tolworth]], after visiting a similar site in [[Boston, Massachusetts]]; the Mayor said "rebuilding some of our complex and ageing road network underneath our city would not only provide additional capacity for traffic, but it would also unlock surface space and reduce the impact of noise and pollution." Similar plans have been proposed for other areas of London but proven cost-prohibitive.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kingstonguardian.co.uk/news/11780277.Going_underground__A3_at_Tolworth_could_become_a_tunnel__says_Boris_Johnson/ |title=Going underground? A3 at Tolworth could become a tunnel, says Boris Johnson|newspaper=Kingston Guardian |first=Jon |last=Sharman |date=9 February 2015 |access-date=15 February 2015}}</ref>

==A3(M)==
{{infobox road
| country = GBR
| type = AM
| route = 3
| map = {{maplink-road|from=A3(M) motorway.map}}
| map_custom = yes
| map_notes = A3(M) highlighted in blue
| maint = [[National Highways]]
| length_mi = 5
| direction_a = Northeast
| direction_b = Southwest
| terminus_a = [[Horndean]]
| destinations = ([[London]]), ([[Portsmouth]]), ([[Chichester]]), ([[Petersfield]]), [[Waterlooville]]
| terminus_b = [[Bedhampton]]
| established = 1979
| image = The A3(M) M27 interchange, Farlington.jpg
| image_notes = The junction between the A3(M) and the A27
}}
This section of the road was opened in 1979<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iht.org/motorway/m27scmstat.htm |title=The Motorway Archive – M27 Dates Page |publisher=Iht.org |access-date=14 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311002951/http://www.iht.org/motorway/m27scmstat.htm |archive-date=11 March 2007 }}</ref> and acts as an alternative to the A3 road in this part of Hampshire.

===Junctions===
{| border=1 cellpadding=2 style="margin-left:1em; margin-bottom: 1em; border-collapse: collapse; "
|-  style="background:#0080d0; text-align:center; color:white; "
| colspan="3" | A3(M) motorway
|-  style="background:#000; text-align:center; color:white;"
| Northbound exits
| Junction
| Southbound exits
|- style="text-align:center;"
| ''Road continues as the A3 to [[Petersfield]] and [[London]]''
| rowspan="2"| A3 <br /> ''Terminus'' <br /> (J1)
| [[Horndean]], [[Clanfield, Hampshire|Clanfield]] A3 <br /> [[Portsmouth]], [[Hayling Island]] A3(M)
|- style="text-align:center;"
| {{no2}} ''No exit''
| ''Start of motorway''
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Horndean]], [[Cowplain]] [[List of B roads in Great Britain|B2149]]
| J2
| [[Emsworth]], [[Rowlands Castle]] B2149, Cowplain
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Waterlooville]] [[List of B roads in Great Britain|B2150]]
| J3
| Waterlooville, Purbrook, Leigh Park B2150
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Purbrook]], [[Leigh Park]]
| J4
| {{no2}} ''No exit''
|- style="text-align:center;"
| ''Start of motorway''
| rowspan="2"|J5 <br /> ''Terminus'' <br /> A27
| [[Bedhampton]], [[Farlington, Hampshire|Farlington]], [[Drayton, Hampshire|Drayton]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Petersfield]], [[London]], [[Waterlooville]], [[Leigh Park]] (A3(M)) <br /> [[Bedhampton]] [[B2177 road|B2177]]
| [[Brighton]], [[Chichester]], [[Havant]], [[Hayling Island]] A27(E) <br /> [[Portsmouth]], [[Southampton]] ([[M27 motorway|M27]]) [[A27 road|A27(W)]]
|}
<ref>''Information above gathered from Advanced Direction Signs April/May 2012''</ref>

==Cycling==

There are several cycle routes which follow the route of the A3.

=== London ===
{{Cycle Superhighway 7}}
In London, [[Cycle Superhighway 7]] (CS7) runs either side of the A3 from [[Elephant and Castle]] to [[Clapham Common]]. The route is signposted and marked using painted blue cycle logos, carrying cyclists through [[Kennington]], [[Stockwell]], and [[Clapham]]. North from Elephant and Castle, CS7 runs along the [[A300 road|A300]]/[[Southwark Bridge Road]] towards the [[City of London|City]]. South of Clapham Common, CS7 runs along the [[A24 road (England)|A24]] to [[Colliers Wood]], via [[Balham]] and [[Tooting]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cycle|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/cycle|website=[[Transport for London]] (TfL)}}</ref>

Between [[Wandsworth]] and [[Kingston Vale]], a [[Shared use path|shared-use path]] runs alongside the A3 for cyclists and pedestrians. The path is segregated from other road traffic and links to cycle paths which run alongside the [[A308 road|A308]]/[[Kingston Hill, London|Kingston Hill]]. This provides [[Norbiton]] with a traffic-free route to Wandsworth, which is also the terminus of [[Cycle Superhighway 8]] (CS8 to [[Millbank]]).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kingston Vale|url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/2145146467|website=[[OpenStreetMap]]|date=2 January 2017 |access-date=May 9, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Wandsworth|url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/21315206|website=[[OpenStreetMap]]|access-date=May 9, 2020}}</ref>

=== Surrey and Hampshire ===
Shared-use paths and cycle lanes run alongside the A3 at points between the Greater London boundary and Portsmouth.

Between [[Thursley]] and [[Milford, Surrey|Milford]] in Surrey, cycle crossings of the [[slip road]]s exist for cyclists travelling along the [[Bike lane|cycle lanes]].

There is a cycle path between [[Liss, Hampshire|Liss]] and [[Petersfield]] which runs along the Portsmouth-bound (southbound) side of the A3. The route joins the A3 south of [[West Liss]] and leaves the dual-carriageway to the north of Petersfield (at Farnham Road). The route between Liss town centre and Farnham Road is part of [[National Cycle Route 22]] (NCR 22).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Route 22|url=https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/route-22/|website=[[Sustrans]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509114821/https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/route-22/|archive-date=May 9, 2020|access-date=May 9, 2020}}</ref>

South of Petersfield, [[National Cycle Route 222]] (NCR 222) follows the route of the A3 until the route reaches [[Waterlooville]]. The route passes through the [[Queen Elizabeth Country Park]] and passes along the eastern rim of [[Clanfield, Hampshire|Clanfield]]. The main cycle route between Petersfield and the Country Park follows NCR 22 through [[Buriton]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Queen Elizabeth Country Park|url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/3355005|website=[[OpenStreetMap]]|access-date=May 9, 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Great Britain road numbering scheme]]
*[[List of motorways in the United Kingdom]]
*[[British industrial narrow gauge railways#Road construction|British industrial narrow gauge railways]]

==Notes and references==
;Notes 
{{Reflist|group=n}}  
;References
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}
{{commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/a3/ CBRD Motorway Database – A3 and A3(M)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070629031024/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3832.aspx A3 Hindhead Improvement] – Highways Agency page
*[http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/roadlists/f99/3.shtml Society for All British Road Enthusiasts entry for the A3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929140225/http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/roadlists/f99/3.shtml |date=29 September 2021 }}

{{GB A road zone 3}}
{{Roads in London}}
{{UK motorways}}
{{Motorways and Trunk Roads in England|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:3-0003}}
[[Category:Roads in England]]
[[Category:Roads in Surrey]]
[[Category:Transport in Hampshire]]
[[Category:Transport in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames]]
[[Category:Roads in London]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[Category:Transport in the London Borough of Merton]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Southwark]]
[[Category:Proposed roads in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Streets in the London Borough of Wandsworth]]