A725 | ||||
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Route information | ||||
Length | 11.0 mi [1] (17.7 km) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
Northeast end | Coatbridge | |||
Southwest end | East Kilbride | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United Kingdom | |||
Constituent country | Scotland | |||
Road network | ||||
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The A725 road in Scotland is a major route which is a trunk road dual carriageway for almost its whole length, [2] 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. [3]
The northern section of the A725 begins to the east of Glasgow in Coatbridge town centre where it meets the A89; it runs south through the Whifflet and Shawhead neighbourhoods, then links with the A8 and M8 (Junction 7A) in a complex, partially grade-separated junction at Shawhead [4] and travels south past Bellshill, flanked by two large industrial estates that have a dedicated exit, with additional exits at Belziehill for central Bellshill and Viewpark (A721), and for Orbiston. This was the first section of the route to be developed, completed in 1968. [3] It links with the M74 at Junction 5 (Raith Interchange) near Strathclyde Country Park, [5] in a triple-layer junction with a stacked roundabout.
The Raith Interchange was considerably upgraded between 2014 and 2017 to address traffic congestion issues, with the A725 – which previously directed all traffic into a roundabout [5] – now running beneath both the roundabout and the M74 and only those vehicles changing route required to join the roundabout. [6] [7] [4]
The A725 continues as the East Kilbride Expressway, a dual carriageway running south-west around Bothwell, crossing over the River Clyde then immediately dipping under the historic Bothwell Bridge, through High Blantyre (with exits for the A724 (Low Blantyre / Burnbank), Hamilton, and the University of the West of Scotland campus) on to Nerston in the north of East Kilbride. There, it links with the A749 (which runs to Rutherglen and south-eastern Glasgow) at the Whirlies Roundabout – a short spur was constructed between the two roads in the 1990s to bypass the Whirlies and ease congestion. It then heads south as the 'Kingsway' between the Calderwood and East Mains neighbourhoods towards the town centre and terminates where it meets the A726 (its section within East Kilbride referred to as the 'Queensway') at Birniehill roundabout near St Leonard's.
This southern section was completed in two parts; the 'Kingsway' within East Kilbride was completed as part of the work to transform the small settlement into a New Town in 1957, with the remaining section between the town and the Raith Interchange completed in stages between 1967 and 1983. [3] [8]
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.
East Kilbride is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a raised plateau to the south of the Cathkin Braes, about eight miles southeast of Glasgow and close to the boundary with East Renfrewshire.
The A8 is a major road in Scotland, connecting Edinburgh to Greenock via Glasgow. Its importance diminished following the construction of the M8 motorway which also covers the route between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
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.
The A77 road is a major road in Scotland. It runs in a southwesterly direction from the city of Glasgow, past the towns of Giffnock, Newton Mearns, Kilmarnock, Prestwick, Ayr, Girvan and Stranraer to the village of Portpatrick on the Irish Sea. It passes through the council areas of Glasgow City, East Renfrewshire, East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.
The North Clyde Line is a suburban railway in West Central Scotland. The route is operated by ScotRail Trains. As a result of the incorporation of the Airdrie–Bathgate rail link and the Edinburgh–Bathgate line, this route has become the fourth rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
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.
Hamilton North and Bellshill was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality method of election. It was also one of ten constituencies in the Central Scotland electoral region, which elected seven additional members, in addition to ten constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
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 A89 is a trunk road in Scotland, United Kingdom. It runs from High Street, Glasgow to Newbridge in Edinburgh. It was once the A8, which has now been replaced, mostly by the M8.
Birniehill is an area of the Scottish new town East Kilbride, in South Lanarkshire. It lies southeast of the Town Centre, south of St Leonards and northeast of The Murray.
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.
Uddingston and Bellshill is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering part of the council areas of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality method of election. It is also one of nine constituencies in the Central Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
The Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway was a railway company in Scotland, built to serve coal and ironstone pits in the Hamilton and Bothwell areas, and convey the mineral to Glasgow and to ironworks in the Coatbridge area. It was allied to the North British Railway, and it opened in 1877. Passenger services followed.
Broomhouse is a residential area in Glasgow, Scotland. It is about 6 miles (10 km) east of the city centre. Historically a small mining village and later the site of the Glasgow Zoo, in the early 21st century it grew substantially as an affluent commuter suburb.
Maryville railway station (NS687620) was opened in 1878 at Maryville, a small community in the Uddingston area to the south-east of Glasgow, Scotland on the old Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway between Shettleston and Hamilton. Clydeside and Bredisholm collieries were also served by the station.
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.