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| Route information | ||||
| Length | 8.2 mi [1] (13.2 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| Northwest end | Rutherglen | |||
| Southeast end | Hamilton | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||
| Constituent country | Scotland | |||
| Road network | ||||
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The A724 road in Scotland runs within South Lanarkshire between Rutherglen and Hamilton. It follows an ancient route which is marked on William Roy's Lowland Map of Scotland (1755) with only minor deviations from its modern course. [2]
The A724 starts as in a mixed industrial/residential urban setting at Farme Cross [3] (named after Farme Castle which was located slightly north-east of the junction) meeting the A749 which runs northwards towards Glasgow as Dalmarnock Road, and southwards towards Rutherglen Main Street (B768) as Farmeloan Road. The A764 heads south-east, its general direction for its entire route, as Cambuslang Road, soon meeting Junction 2 of the M74 motorway opened in 2011 (offering full on/off access in both directions). It then passes under a railway bridge carrying the Argyle Line and West Coast Main Line tracks [4] (the motorway follows the WCML into Glasgow from this point) [5] then meets the B768 at Richmond Park roundabout.
It is briefly a dual carriageway running past Eastfield then reverts to single carriageway passing close to Trinity High School before a junction with the end of the B762 (Dukes Road) towards Burnside. The A724 continues uphill, this time going over the WCML just prior to Cambuslang railway station, where there is also a northbound junction for Somervell Park (Cambuslang Rangers F.C.) and the A763, a short 1.4 miles (2.3 km) classified road that crosses the River Clyde, passes Carmyle and meets the M74 at Junction 3, then the A74 at Foxley where it downgrades to the B765 towards Shettleston.
The A724 continues as Cambuslang Main Street, which in the 21st century has a separate main carriageway and a service/parking section for the local shops, sited only on its south side. After a southbound junction with the B759 (Greenlees Road) which leads south up towards East Kilbride, it becomes a more standard dual carriageway for a few hundred yards – with a northbound junction with Clydeford Road providing another access route to the motorway – followed by bus stop laybys in either direction. It then reverts to single carriageway as Hamilton Road, passing over the WCML again, then under the railway bridge carrying the Cathcart Circle Line between Kirkhill and Newton and entering Halfway, where it is again the main shopping street – the area derives its name from being mid-distance between Glasgow and Hamilton on this ancient thoroughfare. Historically also a route used by Glasgow Corporation Tramways until the mid-20th century, [6] some wider sections of roadway here feature one or both of central fences and hatched markings separating the lanes. The road passes Lightburn and Flemington to the south and Drumsagard to the north, a roundabout serving the latter neighbourhood's shops which are situated on the edge of the Greater Glasgow urban area.
Still called Hamilton Road, the A724 runs through about a mile of open countryside forming part of the green belt between the city and the fairly dense network of Lanarkshire towns, with a cycle lane flanking each direction. Upon crossing over the Rotten Calder and reaching Blantyre, it becomes Glasgow Road, and immediately has a staggered junction with the B758 (Bardykes Road / Blantyre Farm Road), which is a narrow and twisting former farm track but is fairly busy as it connects the M74 and A721 in North Lanarkshire further north, and the A725 East Kilbride Expressway further south. The A724 runs on though Blantyre past shops and close to Calderside Academy, with mini-roundabouts for the local hypermarket, leisure centre, an industrial estate and Castle Park (Blantyre Victoria F.C.), then meets the elevated A725 at an atypical junction – the eastbound offslip is about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) before the onslip, and the eastbound offslip is about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) after the main onslip and features an additional onslip also fed mainly from the A724, via a roundabout and underpass.
Running past the Springwell neighbourhood, the road enters Hamilton, flanked by older shops at the west side of Burnbank before fringing its south side as a mini-bypass constructed in the 1970s – the original route straight through the district is now designed for local access only, the two meeting again at a roundabout which is also a main route into the Whitehill neighbourhood. Continuing as Burnbank Road, it reaches the part of the burgh referred to as Hamilton West, where the main carriageway proceeds to Peacock Cross where the B755 (Wellhall Road, south-west) and the A72 (Almada Street, north-east) begin, while a one-way (east then south) arm at Clydesdale Street passes Hamilton West railway station, a retail park and South Lanarkshire Council's Headquarters, then meets back up with Almada Street.
From Peacock Cross, the A724 becomes Union Street, going over the Cadzow Burn and passing Hamilton Grammar School, then becomes Brandon Street where it ends close to Hamilton Bus Station and Hamilton Central railway station as part of the town centre's one-way system, eastbound lanes turning north as the B7071 (Leechlee Road) and westbound lanes joining from the A723 from the direction of Motherwell via Duke Street from the east and Portland Place to the south. The other lanes of the A723 act as the main route through south-eastern parts of Hamilton such as Eddlewood, eventually leaving the town on its way to Strathaven.
The '267' bus service, one of the primary routes by the major operator in the region, First Glasgow, runs along most of the length of the A724 within South Lanarkshire, turning west onto the B768 Rutherglen Main Street at Richmond Park roundabout (within Glasgow it mainly follows the A730). [7]
Hamilton is a large town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It sits 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Glasgow, 37 miles (60 km) south-west of Edinburgh and 74 miles (120 km) north of Carlisle. It is situated on the south bank of the River Clyde at its confluence with the Avon Water. Hamilton is the county town of the historic county of Lanarkshire and is the location of the headquarters of the modern local authority of South Lanarkshire.
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark, is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. The county is no longer used for local government purposes, but gives its name to the two modern council areas of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.
Rutherglen is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, three miles from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having existed as a Lanarkshire burgh in its own right for more than 800 years, in 1975 Rutherglen lost its own local council and administratively became a component of the City of Glasgow District within the Strathclyde region. In 1996 the towns were reallocated to the South Lanarkshire council area.
Cambuslang is a town on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater Glasgow, Scotland. With approximately 30,000 residents, it is the 27th largest town in Scotland by population, although, never having had a town hall, it may also be considered the largest village in Scotland. It is within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire and directly borders the town of Rutherglen to the west. Historically, it was a large civil parish incorporating the nearby hamlets of Newton, Flemington, Westburn and Halfway.
The A74(M) and M74 form a major motorway in Scotland, connecting it to England. The routes connect the M8 motorway in central Glasgow to the Scottish-English border at Gretna. In conjunction with their southward continuation, the M6 motorway, they form one of the three major cross-border routes between Scotland and England. They are part of the unsigned international E-road network E05. Although the entire route is colloquially referred to as the M74, for more than half its length, south of Abington, the road is officially the A74(M); see naming confusion below.
Blantyre is a town and civil parish in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, with a population of 16,900. It is bounded by the River Clyde to the north, the Rotten Calder to the west, the Park Burn to the east and the Rotten Burn to the south.
The Argyle Line is a suburban railway located in West Central Scotland. The line serves the commercial and shopping districts of Glasgow's central area, and connects towns from West Dunbartonshire to South Lanarkshire. Named for Glasgow's Argyle Street, the line uses the earlier cut-and-cover tunnel running beneath that thoroughfare.
Uddingston is a small town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the north side of the River Clyde, south-east of Glasgow city centre, and acts as a dormitory suburb for the city.
Eastfield is a mainly residential district in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located between the industrial towns of Rutherglen and Cambuslang in the south-east of the Greater Glasgow urban area. It is situated south of the River Clyde, adjoining the Stonelaw and Burnside neighbourhoods of Rutherglen, and Silverbank in Cambuslang.
Rutherglen railway station is in the town centre of Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, and lies on the Argyle Line. The station is served by a single island platform, connected to the street by a footbridge.
The A725 road in Scotland is a major route which is a trunk road dual carriageway for almost its whole length, connecting several of the large towns of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire, linking the M8 and M74 motorways; it has been upgraded frequently since its construction, with the most recent major work completed in 2017. In combination with the A726 road which meets the M77 motorway, it forms a southern and eastern bypass for the city of Glasgow.
The A726 road in Scotland is a major route with several distinct sections with different characteristics and names; owing to its stages of construction, since 2005 it has two separate parts, the first running between Strathaven in South Lanarkshire and Junction 5 of the M77 motorway south of Newton Mearns in East Renfrewshire via East Kilbride, and the other running between Junction 3 of the M77 and the M898 motorway near the Erskine Bridge, via Paisley and Junction 29 of the M8 motorway near Glasgow International Airport.
The A730 road in Scotland runs between the centre of Glasgow and the south-eastern edge of the city's urban area at Cathkin.
The A727 road in Scotland runs from East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire, through East Renfrewshire, to Junction 3 of the M77 motorway in Glasgow.
The A749 road in Scotland connects East Kilbride with Glasgow city centre via Rutherglen and Bridgeton.
Halfway is a largely suburban area in the town of Cambuslang, Scotland, located within the local authority area of South Lanarkshire. It borders the smaller areas of Lightburn, Cairns, Flemington, Drumsagard and Hallside.
Drumsagard Village is a new construction village in Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire. It is built around the site of Drumsagard Castle and immediately south of the site of Hallside Steelworks, also known as the Cambuslang Iron and Steel Works. One of the first facilities of their kind and eventually extending over an area of around 33 acres, the steelworks were established in 1873 and closed in 1979.
Newton is a mainly residential district in the town of Cambuslang in Scotland; it is situated directly south of the River Clyde. Newton is within the Cambuslang East ward of the South Lanarkshire Council area. Formerly a mining settlement from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries then sparsely populated for several decades, in the early 2000s it was designated a 'Community Growth Area' for residential development with several hundred houses, a new primary school and associated infrastructure constructed in phases over several years into the 2020s, mostly on fields previously used by a farm which had operated for several centuries before closing around the turn of the 21st century.
The Clydebridge Steelworks, also known as Clydebridge Works, is a steel works in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Westburn is a district of the town of Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was formerly home to a steel works and power station which were the area's major employers; the sites are now occupied by a housing development and modern industrial estate respectively. Administratively, Westburn is within the Cambuslang East ward of the South Lanarkshire Council area and has a population of around 2,000.
Media related to A724 road (Scotland) at Wikimedia CommonsA roads in Zone 7 of the Great Britain road numbering scheme | ||
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