Trunk A-road

A35 traffic and collisions

The A35 is a trunk A-road of 97.9 miles, from Southampton to Devon. This page covers its traffic at 55 DfT count points since 2000 and the collisions police recorded on it.

Last updated
Records analysed
55 count points in 2025
Methodology
View methodology
  • Traffic in 2025 669m vehicle miles
  • Average daily traffic 18,731 vehicles a day, both directions
  • Busiest section 53,091 A350 Creekmoor Junction to A350 Blandford Road (roundabout)
  • HGV share 3.0% of vehicle miles
  • Traffic since 2019 −3.0% same count points
  • Collisions, 2021 to 2025 1,048 33.5 per 100m vehicle miles

How busy is the A35?

On an average day in 2025, 18,731 vehicles passed each point on the A35, counting both directions. The busiest section is A350 Creekmoor Junction to A350 Blandford Road (roundabout) (Dorset), with 53,091 a day; the quietest listed is A349 Fleet's Corner to A350 Creekmoor Junction, with 10,049.

Busiest sections, 2025

A350 Creekmoor Junction to A350 Blandford Road (roundabout) carries 2.8 times the road’s average flow.

Sections of the A35 with the highest average daily flow, 2025
Section Vehicles a day
A350 Creekmoor Junction to A350 Blandford Road (roundabout) Dorset · 1.4 mi · HGVs 2.3% 53,091
B3347 Stony Lane Roundabout to B3073 Bargates Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 0.6 mi · HGVs 1.3% 45,926
A36 to A326 Hampshire · 0.9 mi · HGVs 6.7% 40,006
A350 Blandford Road (roundabout) to A351 Bakers Arms Roundabout Dorset · 1.9 mi · HGVs 3.0% 39,692
A337 Somerford Roundabout to B3347 Stony Lane Roundabout Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 1.4 mi · HGVs 1.8% 29,712
A354 (roundabout) to A352 Max Gate Roundabout Dorset · 5.1 mi · HGVs 3.3% 29,165
B3073 Bargates to A3060 Castle Lane East (roundabout) Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 1.6 mi · HGVs 1.1% 27,579
A352 Max Gate Roundabout to A354 (roundabout) Dorset · 1.3 mi · HGVs 5.9% 26,992
A326 to A35 spur Hampshire · 0.8 mi · HGVs 2.7% 26,888
A354 (roundabout) to A37 Monkey Jump Roundabout Dorset · 1.5 mi · HGVs 5.4% 24,980

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Route

Southampton to Devon · 97.9 miles

Southampton Devon
Schematic route: each line joins the junctions at the ends of a DfT count point link.

A35 traffic and collisions by section

42 sections between junctions, in route order. Each is the average of its DfT count points, weighted by length. 9 short link roads and spurs (2.7 miles) count in the road’s totals but are not listed.

Show all 42 sections Tap a column heading to sort
Sections of the A35 in route order, 2025 traffic
#
1A335 to A27/A35Southampton0.234,5252.1%−9.7%fewer than 3
2Thomas Lewis Way to Stoneham LaneSouthampton0.134,5252.1%−9.7%fewer than 3
3Stoneham Lane to A33Southampton1.311,0680.7%−27.0%32125.8
4A33 to A35 splitSouthampton0.714,9111.0%−5.6%1370.5
5A35 split to A3057Southampton1.314,8240.9%−8.9%2674.0
6A3057 to A33Southampton1.013,5830.8%−7.1%1249.3
7M271 to A36Southampton, Hampshire0.461,9944.1%−11.2%13
8A36 to A326Hampshire0.940,0066.7%−9.3%2234.0
9A326 to A35 spurHampshire0.826,8882.7%−27.1%1743.5
10A35 spur to A326 to Holly Rd, AshurstHampshire1.116,6481.7%+0.8%1752.9
11Holly Rd, Ashurst to A35 Gosport LaneHampshire2.711,1202.2%−14.0%1731.3
12A35 Gosport Lane to A337Hampshire0.111,0651.6%+17.8%fewer than 3
13At A337Hampshire0.114,6192.0%−9.3%fewer than 3
14A337 Shrubbs Hill Rd to A35 Chapel LaneHampshire0.26,4693.7%−12.9%fewer than 3
15A35 Chapel Lane to Station RdHampshire6.611,7981.8%−0.3%2821.0
16Station Rd to A337Hampshire, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole5.615,4041.7%4677.9
17A337 Somerford Roundabout to B3347 Stony Lane RoundaboutBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole1.429,7121.8%−13.7%2026.0
18B3347 Stony Lane Roundabout to B3073 BargatesBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole0.645,9261.3%−2.6%2345.2
19B3073 Bargates to A3060 Castle Lane East (roundabout)Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole1.627,5791.1%+1.1%6382.9
20A3060 Castle Lane East (roundabout) to B3059 Parkwood Road JunctionBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole1.215,4050.8%−5.8%57174.4
21B3059 Parkwood Road Junction to A3049 Ashley Road (roundabout)Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole0.414,6701.0%−6.4%30
22A3049 Ashley Road (roundabout) to A338 St Pauls RoundaboutBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole1.715,2320.6%−6.2%87190.1
23Wessex Way Junction to A3040 Alder Road (roundabout)Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole0.720,7171.3%−2.0%44172.9
24A3040 Alder Road (roundabout) to A35 Commercial RoadBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole1.714,5380.9%−4.4%48110.6
25A35 Fernside Road to A35 Park RoadBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole0.118,1071.3%−7.0%fewer than 3
26A350 Parkstone Road Junction to Wimborne Road/Fernside Road JunctionBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole0.812,4560.9%−12.0%19103.3
27Wimborne Road/Fernside Road Junction to A349 Fleet's CornerBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole0.920,3350.7%+3.3%1963.1
28A349 Fleet's Corner to A350 Creekmoor JunctionBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole1.210,0492.8%−22.6%1252.4
29A350 Creekmoor Junction to A350 Blandford Road (roundabout)Dorset1.453,0912.3%1347.9
30A350 Blandford Road (roundabout) to A351 Bakers Arms RoundaboutDorset1.939,6923.0%−0.7%1612.1
31A351 Bakers Arms Roundabout to A31 Town's End RoundaboutDorset7.616,6452.9%+1.4%5123.6
32A31 Town's End Roundabout to A354 (roundabout)Dorset5.824,2324.5%−9.3%124.6
33A354 (roundabout) to A352 Max Gate RoundaboutDorset5.129,1653.3%−12.5%4115.1
34A352 Max Gate Roundabout to A354 (roundabout)Dorset1.326,9925.9%−10.8%9
35A354 (roundabout) to A37 Monkey Jump RoundaboutDorset1.524,9805.4%+8.8%5
36Howard Rd, Bridport to A37 Monkey Jump Roundabout Proudbury FarmDorset11.817,0533.4%+4.8%8525.7
37Howard Rd to A3066 RoundaboutDorset0.614,0604.4%−12.5%3
38A3066 (roundabout) to B3157 West Bay Road roundaboutDorset0.718,9272.5%−1.2%7
39B3157 West Bay Road roundabout to A3052 Woods Farm RoundaboutDorset7.814,3313.1%−12.2%4220.0
40A3052 Woods Farm Roundabout to A358Dorset, Devon4.815,6863.6%+18.1%2626.4
41A358 to Monkton Road JunctionDevon9.114,2465.1%+25.3%4222.6
42Monkton Road/King's Road Junction to A30(T)Devon0.415,7564.4%−0.9%fewer than 3

Vehicles a day is the average daily flow in 2025. “Since 2019” compares the same count points. Collisions are those with the A35 as the first road, placed on the nearest section by their recorded position; rates (per 100 million vehicle miles) are shown for sections of half a mile or more with 10 or more.

A35 traffic by vehicle type

Cars and taxis make up 78.6% of the vehicle miles on the A35. HGVs account for 3.0%, rising to 6.7% on A36 to A326.

Vehicle mix, 2025

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

HGV share of traffic

HGVs as a share of vehicle miles on the A35, by year
Year HGV share
2000 4.1%
2001 4.1%
2002 4.1%
2003 4.0%
2004 3.9%
2005 3.9%
2006 4.0%
2007 4.0%
2008 4.1%
2009 3.8%
2010 3.8%
2011 3.7%
2012 3.7%
2013 3.6%
2014 3.5%
2015 3.7%
2016 3.7%
2017 3.5%
2018 3.4%
2019 3.3%
2020 4.0%
2021 3.9%
2022 3.4%
2023 3.2%
2024 3.1%
2025 3.0%

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

A35 traffic trend

Traffic on the A35 came to 669 million vehicle miles in 2025. At the count points present in both years, it is down 3.0% on 2019, before the pandemic, and up 8.0% on 2015.

Vehicle miles a year

Like for like, traffic is up 13.3% on 2000.

Vehicle miles on the A35 each year, the whole road as it was that year
Year Vehicle miles
2000 578m
2001 599m
2002 604m
2003 606m
2004 610m
2005 644m
2006 645m
2007 623m
2008 613m
2009 610m
2010 605m
2011 615m
2012 600m
2013 600m
2014 609m
2015 613m
2016 633m
2017 655m
2018 664m
2019 671m
2020 506m
2021 577m
2022 616m
2023 631m
2024 634m
2025 669m

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

Average daily flow

Average daily flow along the A35, weighted by link length, by year
Year Vehicles a day
2000 16,116
2001 16,715
2002 16,878
2003 16,932
2004 17,051
2005 17,960
2006 17,982
2007 17,388
2008 17,190
2009 17,103
2010 16,959
2011 17,240
2012 16,832
2013 16,817
2014 17,087
2015 17,176
2016 17,754
2017 18,436
2018 18,611
2019 18,814
2020 14,176
2021 16,185
2022 17,268
2023 17,696
2024 17,767
2025 18,731

Source:DfT,UK Motoring analysis 2000 to 2025 Updated

The chart counts the whole road as it was each year, so new or renumbered stretches move it. The percentage changes compare only count points present in both years. In 2025, 18 of the 55 count points were counted; DfT estimated the rest from earlier counts and local trends.

A35 collisions

Police recorded 1,048 collisions with the A35 as the first road from 2021 to 2025, 296 of them fatal or serious, including 17 fatal. That is 33.5 per 100 million vehicle miles, close to the 31.5 for all A-roads in Great Britain. On average there were 2.1 a year for each mile of road.

Reported collisions by year

About the same in 2025 as in 2021.

Police-reported collisions on the A35 by year: fatal or serious, and slight
Year SlightFatal or serious
2021 15057
2022 15162
2023 15961
2024 15352
2025 13865

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated

Sections with the highest collision rates

Per 100 million vehicle miles, 2021 to 2025. Sections of half a mile or more with 10 or more collisions.

Collisions per 100 million vehicle miles by section of the A35, 2021 to 2025
Section Per 100m vehicle miles
A3049 Ashley Road (roundabout) to A338 St Pauls Roundabout Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 87 collisions 190.1
A3060 Castle Lane East (roundabout) to B3059 Parkwood Road Junction Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 57 collisions 174.4
Wessex Way Junction to A3040 Alder Road (roundabout) Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 44 collisions 172.9
Stoneham Lane to A33 Southampton · 32 collisions 125.8
A3040 Alder Road (roundabout) to A35 Commercial Road Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 48 collisions 110.6
A350 Parkstone Road Junction to Wimborne Road/Fernside Road Junction Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 19 collisions 103.3
B3073 Bargates to A3060 Castle Lane East (roundabout) Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 63 collisions 82.9
Station Rd to A337 Hampshire, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · 46 collisions 77.9

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated

A further 111 collisions were recorded at junctions where the A35 was the second road; they are not in the figures above. Fatal or serious uses DfT’s adjusted serious figures. How we count collisions

Council areas on the A35

In route order. Each is the highway authority DfT files the count points under.

  • Southampton
  • Hampshire
  • Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
  • Dorset
  • Devon

Planned closures on the A35 in England

National Highways has 28 planned closures on the A35 between 16 September 2026 and 30 September 2026, 23 of them starting in that period. 3 close a carriageway rather than a lane or slip road, and 12 start between 7pm and 6am.

  • Lane or slip A35 St Georges Viaduct 2 way traffic lights

    17 Sept, 07:00 to 17:00 Construction work

  • Lane or slip A35 Allington Avenue lane closure

    17 Sept 07:00 to 24 Sept 17:00 Construction work

  • Lane or slip A35 Green Lane Underpass / Stinsford Channel / Stinsford Channel Culvert

    17 Sept, 07:00 to 17:00 Construction work

  • Carriageway A35 Miles Cross 3 way traffic lights for rdabt construction

    17 Sept 20:00 to 18 Sept 06:00 Construction work

  • Lane or slip A35 St Georges Viaduct 2 way traffic lights

    18 Sept 07:00 to 22 Sept 17:00 Construction work

  • Lane or slip A35 Allington Avenue lane closure

    18 Sept, 07:00 to 17:00 Construction work

  • Lane or slip A35 Green Lane Underpass / Stinsford Channel / Stinsford Channel Culvert

    18 Sept, 07:00 to 17:00 Construction work

  • Carriageway A35 Miles Cross 3 way traffic lights for rdabt construction

    18 Sept 20:00 to 19 Sept 06:00 Construction work

20 more planned closures in this period are not shown.

Planned closures only: National Highways can cancel or change them, and closures caused by incidents are not shown. Council roads in England are not covered. Roadworks and closures across the UK

Source:National Highways 2026-09-16 to 2026-09-30 Updated

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Traffic counts and vehicle mix Road traffic statistics (AADF by count point) Department for Transport
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2000 to 2025 55 count points in 2025 15 September 2026
Reported collisions Road safety open data (STATS19) Department for Transport
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2021 to 2025 1,048 reported collisions 15 September 2026
Planned closures Transport Data Feeds (DATEX II) National Highways 2026-09-16 to 2026-09-30 2,304 planned closure schemes 16 September 2026
  • Annual average daily flow (AADF) is the average number of vehicles passing a point on a typical day of the year, both directions combined.
  • Vehicle miles are AADF multiplied by link length and 365, summed over every count point link on the road.
  • Sections join count point links between junctions, using the link lines in DfT’s major road database.
  • STATS19 covers personal injury collisions reported to the police. Damage-only collisions are not included, and not every injury collision is reported.
  • Serious and slight figures are DfT’s adjusted estimates, which allow for police forces moving to injury-based reporting.
  • Counts of one or two collisions below Great Britain level are shown as “fewer than 3”.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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