The A38 is the longest 2-digit A-road in the UK, running from the A30 at Bodmin in Cornwall, up to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, for a total of 310 miles (498 km). It connects the cities of Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol, Gloucester, Worcester, Birmingham, Lichfield and Derby. Between Exeter and Birmingham, the A38 forms the pre-motorway-era main road, but has since been superseded for long-distance traffic by the parallel M5. In Birmingham the A38 has a short motorway section, the A38(M) Aston Expressway. North of Lichfield, and south of Exeter, and the A38 still provides an important fast route - with much having been upgraded to dual carriageway.
The Tamar Bridge is 335 metres (1,099ft) in length and was opened to traffic 1961, replacing ferries that crossed the river at Saltash and Torpoint, or a long detour to the nearest bridge at Gunnislake near Tavistock. At the time of its construction it was the longest suspension bridge in the UK, although has since been surpassed by the Humber Bridge. The River Tamar marks the boundary between the counties of Devon (on the east bank) and Cornwall (on the west).
This video shows a westbound journey along the A38 Tamar Bridge and connecting roads, between the B3413 junction for St Budeaux, and the B3271 junction for Saltash. This video was taken in 2021 when the bridge was undergoing major repairs, so there is a bit of a traffic jam, which is fast-forwarded, and the actual crossing takes place on the bridge's cycle lane and footpath, instead of the main bridge span.
