Northern Section
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Remarkably, Ringway 3 is the only one of the Ringways that is a proper circle; the others are either partial (Ringway 4) or have easily defined corners. That makes it quite tricky to pin down the end of one section and the start of the next. For the purposes of this description, the northern section of Ringway 3 begins at a new junction on the M1 between present-day junctions 4 and 5. This makes a logical start point for one major reason: east of this point, we know that the motorway was to be numbered M16, and the motorway numbering system suggests that this number could only be applied east of the M1. The northern section is therefore from the M1 to the A12.
Continues from R3 Western Section
M1
Possible connections to Borehamwood and A1
Bignell's Corner spur
A111 Potter's Bar
A10 Waltham Cross
A121 Waltham Abbey
A11 (now B1393)
M11
Ringway 4
M12 and A12
Continues to R3 Eastern Section
The route
From the M1, it was to strike north-east, passing through Green Street and across the northern fringe of Borehamwood. Development at the north of Borehamwood appears to end in a straight line that aligns neatly with the proposed route of Ringway 3. The route would then cross the A1 immediately south of Bignell's Corner (now M25 junction 23). A spur motorway would allow Ringway 3 traffic to and from the east to reach this junction. Today, the M25 passes through here, and east of junction 23 there is a large gap between the carriageways (click the diagram to the right to see a larger version). This is where the mainline of Ringway 3 would have passed through, with the existing motorway west of this point forming the spur road. It is speculated, but not known, that the spur might have been ultimately extended to connect with the M10.
From this point, Ringway 3 would have continued along the line used by the M25 today, with only a few very minor differences, right around to the A12 at Brentwood. Under the original plans, this section of road would have been M16, not M25.
The principle differences between the erstwhile M16 and the current M25 are in the junctions. Two more would have been added: an east-facing junction for the A11 at the western portal to Bell Common tunnel would have allowed traffic to flow straight onto the A11 to the south. The former A11 here is now numbered B1393. There would also have been a simple east-facing merge near Navestock Heath, between the M11 and A12 junctions, where Ringway 4 was to join.
Original layout of the M16-M11 interchange. Click to enlarge
Two more interchanges would have been markedly different. At the M11, the movements between south and east would be missing, with the M12 providing a motorway route further south. This junction would also have been laid out differently. Despite Ringway 4 cutting the corner to the north-east, the movements between north and east would still have been built. It is not known why this would be so. Further south at the A12, substantial changes were necessary to incorporate the M12 into the plans. Each revision of the purpose and route of the M12 caused a new interchange design to be drawn up for this junction.
History
The section of M16 west from Potters Bar, including the short spur to Bignell's Corner (now the M25 between junctions 23 and 24) was the first section of M16 to be built, and M16 was the number it went by until the point at which it opened. During the time it was under construction, everything changed with regard to the Ringway plan. As a result of the confusion, it opened with a temporary A-road number, and was subsequently incorporated into the M25 when the adjoining section to the east opened.
This section includes the gap in the central reservation that was designed to allow Ringway 3 to continue towards Borehamwood and Harrow, but the cancellation of that road scheme came as part of the change from M16 to M25. Even before this section of motorway opened, the provision for the future extension was almost certain never to be used.
