Geograph - photograph every grid square

The elevated ring road is tightly-drawn around the city centre, enclosing an area of 450 acres/180 hectares. It has nine junctions in a length of about 2·5 miles/3·6 kilometres. Planning began around 1956. The negotiations by council officers for relocating people, homes and businesses proceeded remarkably peacefully because much of the property was old and doomed anyway. The first short stretch, between London Road and St Patrick's Road, was completed in December 1959. The whole road was completed in 1971. The final cost, including land charges, was £13 million as against the original estimate of £3 million. It has relieved the city centre of traffic and has a good accident record.

Source: E.B.Newbold. Portrait of Coventry. London: Robert Hale Ltd, second edition 1982. ISBN 0 7091 9751 9