A55 road (Great Britain) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids A55 road
North Wales Expressway
Looking eastbound at junction 40
Route information
Part of E22
Maintained by Highways England North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent
Length	87 mi (140 km)
Existed	1922–present
History	Completed: 2001
Major junctions
West end	Holyhead
	J9 → A487 road J11 → A5 road J19 → A470 road J33B → A494 road J34 → A494 road J38 → A483 road / J39 → A41 road/A5115 road J40 → A51 road M53 motorway
East end	Chester
Location
Counties:	Isle of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Cheshire
Primary destinations:	Holyhead Bangor Conwy Chester
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones ← A54 A56 →

The A55, also called the North Wales Expressway (Welsh: Gwibffordd Gogledd Cymru), is an important road in Great Britain. It goes between Chester, England and Holyhead, Wales. It goes along the north coast of Wales for most of its route. For most of the route, it is a dual carriageway. Many parts of the road act like a motorway.

It is also part of the European route E22, which links to Amsterdam, Riga, and Moscow. The route once went between Bangor and Chester, but was extended to Holyhead in 2001. This links to the Republic of Ireland through the Port of Holyhead. In total, the road is 87 miles (140 km) long.

Junctions

A55 road junctions
km	Westbound exits (B Carriageway)	Junction	Eastbound exits (A Carriageway)
0.0	Holyhead , (Pedestrians) (Motor vehicles) Fish quay, Park and ride, Long stay		Start of road
	Local traffic	TOTSO	Local traffic only
0.5	Town centre A5154	TOTSO	Town centre A5154
0.7	Trearddur Bay B4545, Kingsland	J1	Trearddur Bay B4545, Kingsland
1.2 2.0	Trearddur Bay A5153 (B4545), Parc Cybi, Penrhos Stanley , Goods vehicles	J2	Trearddur Bay A5153 (B4545), Parc Cybi
7.1 7.7	Valley A5	J3	Valley, Caergeiliog A5
9.6 10.2	Caergeiliog A5, Boderdern	J4	Bryngwran A5, Boderdern
14.0 14.6	Rhosneigr, Aberffraw A4080, Bryngwran (A5)	J5	Rhosneigr, Aberffraw A4080, Gwalchmai (A5)
23.2 24.0	Rhostrehwfa A5, Llangefni (A5114)	J6	Pentre Berw A5, Llangefni (A5114)
27.8 28.6	Gaerwen, Pentre Berw A5152 (A5)	J7	Gaerwen, Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll A5152 (A5)
31.3	Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll A5, Star	J7A	No access
32.9 33.4	Benllech, Amlwch A5025	J8	Menai Bridge, Amlwch A5025
33.8	Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll A5(W), Menai Bridge A5(E), Beaumaris (A545)	J8A	No access (on-slip only)
	Entering Isle of Anglesey
34.1 34.4	Britannia Bridge
			Entering Gwynedd
35.3 35.6	Bangor, Caenarfon A487	J9	Bangor, Caenarfon A487
36.4 37.0	Bangor A4087, Caenarfon (A487)	J10	Bangor A4087
40.3 40.9	Bangor, Betws-y-Coed A5	J11 Services	Betws-y-Coed A5
43.6 44.2	Tal-y-bont	J12	Tal-y-bont
47.2 47.5	Abergwyngregyn	J13	Abergwyngregyn
48.9 49.2	Llanfairfechan	J14	Llanfairfechan
	Entering Gwynedd		Entering Conwy
51.7	Llanfairfechan	J15	Llanfairfechan
52.8 53.7	Pen-y-Clip Tunnels
53.8 54.2	No access (on-slip only)	J15A	Penmaenmawr
56.2	Penmaenmawr	J16	Penmaenmawr, Dwygyfylchi
	Services		No access
57.8 57.8	Dwygyfylchi	J16A	No access
58.4 59.1	Penmaenbach Tunnels
60.4 61.0	Conwy A547 End of special road	J17	Conwy A547 Start of special road
61.8 62.9	Conwy Tunnel (53°17′15″N 3°49′26″W / 53.2875°N 3.8240°W / 53.2875; -3.8240 (Conwy Tunnel))
63.6 64.2	Conwy (A547), Deganwy A546	J18	Deganwy A546, Llandudno Junction (A547)
64.8 65.5	Betws-y-Coed, Llandudno A470	J19	Llandudno, Betws-y-Coed A470
68.7 69.8	Rhos-on-Sea (B5115)	J20	Rhos-on-Sea B5115
70.6 71.0	Colwyn Bay B5104	J21	Colwyn Bay B5104
71.5 72.0	Old Colwyn (A547)	J22	Old Colwyn (A547)
76.0 76.1	Llanddulas A547 Start of special road	J23 Services	Llanddulas A547 End of special road
80.0 80.4	No access (on-slip only)	J23A	Pensarn, Rhyl A548
81.2 81.9	Abergele, Rhuddlan A547	J24	Rhuddlan, Prestatyn A547
84.6	Towyn, St. George	J24A	No access
	Entering Conwy		Entering Denbighshire
	Services
86.7 86.8	Bodelwyddan, Glan Clwyd	J25	Bodelwyddan, Glan Clwyd
88.2 88.8	St Asaph Business Park	J26	St Asaph Business Park
89.9 90.6	St Asaph, Rhyl A525	J27	St Asaph, Rhyl A525
91.6 91.6	Denbigh A525	J27A	No access
92.9 93.2	Rhuallt (B5429), Trefnant	J28	Rhuallt, Tremeirchion B5429
96.7 97.3	Rhuallt, Tremeirchion (B5429)	J29
	Entering Denbighshire		Entering Flintshire
99.0 99.3	Tremeirchion	J30
100.3 100.8	Prestatyn A5151, Caerwys B5122	J31	Holywell A5026, Caerwys A5151 (B5122)
108.7 108.8	Holywell A5026	J32	Rhosesmor (B5123)
109.3 109.9	Rhosesmor B5123	J32A	No access (on-slip only)
111.3 111.4	Pentre Halkyn, Rhosesmor	J32B	No access
114.6 115.3	Flint A5119	J33	Mold, Flint A5119
116.5	Connah's Quay B5126	J33A	Northop Hall
	Services
120.0	Mold A494	J33B	No access (on-slip only)
120.5 128.8	Queensferry A494	J34 TOTSO[See notes]	Queensferry A494, Manchester (M56)
123.1 123.6	Buckley A550 (A549), Corwen (A5104)	J35	Wrexham A550
125.3 125.9	Pen-y-ffordd A5104	J36	Broughton, Pen-y-ffordd A5104
128.5	Broughton (A5104)	J36A	No access (on-slip only)
128.6	Entering  Wales and Flintshire	Border	Entering  England and Cheshire
	Wrexham, Chester A483	J38	Chester, Wrexham A483
	River Dee
	No access (on-slip only)	J39	Chester A5115, Whitchurch A41
	Chester, Nantwich A51, Whitchurch (A41)	J40	Chester, Nantwich A51
	Start of road	M53 J12	Chester, Helsby A56 Non-motorway traffic
	Chester A56		Road continues as M53 towards Ellesmere Port
Notes Data from location marker posts are used to provide distance and carriageway identification information. Where a junction spans several hundred metres and the data is available, both the start and finish values for the junction are shown. Totso = "Turn off to stay on" meaning that the driver must leave the main carriageway to stay on the specified (A55) route.
Coordinate list
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Images for kids

• 

  Climbing up Rhuallt Hill eastwards.

• 

  Approaching the tunnel from the west.

• 

  This view at sunset shows how the modern A55 Expressway bypasses the older road through the town centre before resuming the original route around the headland.

• 

  An easterly view of the A55 at Penmaenmawr with the North Wales Coast Railway on the seaward side. The Penmaenbach Tunnels are in the distance

• 

  The A55 spans Britannia Bridge, connecting Anglesey to the British mainland.

• 

  Looking east along the road in Anglesey with the mountains of Snowdonia in the background.