A8 road

From Free net encyclopedia

The A8 is a major road in Scotland, connecting Edinburgh to Greenock via Glasgow. Its importance has largely diminished following the construction of the M8.

The A8 begins (as roads in Scotland are defined to "begin" from the end nearest to Edinburgh) on Princes Street in Edinburgh in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. The road continues westwards through into the suburbs of the city past affluent areas of Corstorphine and Murrayfield, often with an accompanying bus lane. Only once the road reaches the City Bypass does it become a primary route, leading out past Ingliston and Edinburgh Airport.

At Newbridge, the A8 meets the spur from the M8 at junction 2 and M9. From here to Newhouse, the original road has been renumbered a mixture of the A89 until Bathgate, A7066 to Whitburn and then the B7066 until the A8 begins again at Newhouse, so the A8 notionally ceases to exist between Newbridge and Newhouse for now.

The A8 re-emerges here connecting to the temporary terminus of the M8 at junction 6. Here, the A8 is the weak link in the M8 route approaching Glasgow. This dual-carraigeway route has recently been upgraded, with the addition of hard shoulders and longer slip roads, but is still not up to motorway standards.

At junction 8, the A8 diverges and the M8 resumes a course for central Glasgow. The A8 winds through the suburban streets of Bailleston, Easterhouse and Dennistoun at 30mph (often as a three lane dual-carriageway) into the city centre, and the road splits to negotiate the tricky one-way system, crossing the Clyde near the Gorbals. From there it leads a path out of town, past Ibrox stadium and through Renfrew, passing to the rear of Glasgow Airport and once again dovetailing to meet the M8 near Bishopton.

The A8 becomes the primary route again at the end of the M8 (junction 31) and takes traffic past Port Glasgow west to its terminus in Greenock at the junction with the A78.