The A406 or the North Circular Road is a trunk-road linking west and east London going via North London.

Its western end starts at junction 1 of the M4 motorway and the South Circular Road at Gunnersbury. It then goes via Gunnersbury Avenue, crossing Uxbridge Road onto Hanger Lane past Hanger Hill, then crosses the A40 Western Avenue and turns north-east and becomes the North Circular Road. It continues past Stonebridge Park station, and crosses Harrow Road before continuing through Neasden. After crossing Edgware Road it has a junction with the southern terminus of the M1 motorway at Staples Corner.

It then passes by the Brent Cross Shopping Centre and Brent Cross Interchange (with the A41), through Golders Green south of Finchley and north of St Pancras and Islington Cemetery where at Friern Barnet it becomes Pinkham Way with a short single lane section. Subsequently turning right into Bowes Road it becomes the North Circular Road again at Green Lanes, then Sterling Way after it crosses the A10 Great Cambridge Road. After it crosses Fore Street it becomes Angel Road which leads into the Lea Valley Viaduct as it crosses the River Lea.

It becomes Southend Road and passes north of Walthamstow, crossing Woodford New Road at Waterworks Corner. Leaving the Southend Road at an elevated junction with the M11 motorway above Charlie Brown's Roundabout, and turns south, passing the Eastern Avenue at Redbridge Roundabout. It passes Romford Road to the west of Ilford, then crosses Barking Road in Barking, and ends at an interchange with the A13 Newham Way in Beckton. The road then links, via the free Woolwich Ferry, with the South Circular Road on the other side of the river.

Although the route has alternate names at some points it is generally referred to as the North Circular throughout for route planning purposes. The route is mostly grade separated dual carriageway from the A40 to the A13 except for the Drury Way/Brentfield Road junction, the Golders Green Road/Brent Street junction, Henlys Corner and Bounds Green - Green Lanes.

In 2004, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has promised limited improvements to the road but he has received criticism for not approving earlier plans for widening the often heavily congested road at critical sections.

London's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics has increased speculation that the road will be upgraded to provide for adequate transportation during the Games.

External links

• Flash Wilson's guide to the A406