M77
From Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki
| M77 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| From: | Glasgow (NS562641) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To: | Fenwick, Ayrshire (NS458424) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 18 miles (29 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Meets: | M8, M74, A77, A726 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Primary Destinations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Glasgow • Kilmarnock • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highways Authorities | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Transport Scotland (M8 to J5), PPP (J5-8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Counties | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route outline (key) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Junction List | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The M77 is a motorway opened between 1977 and 2005 which connects Glasgow and the South-West of Scotland. Originally opened as a 1-mile spur of the M8, it has slowly grown in length until forming an 18-mile link towards Kilmarnock.
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Route
M8-J1: The Original Stretch
The M77 starts at a modified semi-directional T, with branches starting and finishing at each of the four of the M8’s carriageway. Much of this section of the road consists of two lanes and no hard shoulder. This section is less than one mile and between 1977 and 1996 ended on a roundabout with the B768 but this junction is now a partial cloverleaf.
J1-J2: Pollock Park
This section is surprisingly rural for an urban motorway as it passes through Pollock Country Park, once the largest park in Europe completely surrounded by urban areas. This caused a great deal of controversy when the motorway being built in the 1990s.
J2-J3: Nitshill
Junction 2 was originally a parclo, identical to junction 1, however the construction of Silverburn Shopping Centre has lead to junction modifications and a completely unique layout. This section also caused controversy as it cut the Glaswegian neighbourhood of Nitshill in half.
J3-J5: Newton Mearns
Junction 3 is a unique layout. After junction 3, the southbound on-slip provides an extra lane producing the motorway’s only 3-lane section (the northbound carriageway remains D2M). This, however, only lasts for about one mile where the outside lane merges with the middle. Junction 4 is the first restricted interchange and is a semi-directional T. The section between J4 and J5 is the raison d’être of the entire J2-5 section. It provides a bypass of Newton Mearns, which in the 1990s was one of the Conservative government’s last remaining strongholds in Scotland.
J5-J8: Rural Stretch
Junction 5 is the motorway's only roundabout interchange. It links with the A726 or Glasgow Southern Orbital which provides access to East Kilbride and the M74 as well as a small link road to the A77 and Newton Mearns. J5-6 is quite hilly, while not to the standard of the A74(M) or the Cumbrian section of the M6 , it is quite nice for a commuter road. Junction 6 is a folded diamond with the A77, intended for access to the Irvine Valley. Kingswell services (see below) was intended to be located at this junction, however the restricted nature of the junction with north-facing slip roads only will mean a junction upgrade is necessary if the services are to be built. Junction 7 is another folded diamond with a southbound off-slip and a north-bound on-slip, these junctions are built to serve the village of Fenwick. Junction 8 follows Junction 7 after less than one mile. This is one of the weirdest terminal junctions on the motorway network with no on-slips in either direction, and off-slips in both directions.
Services
Kingswell services
Kingswell services are a proposed site on M77, that are marked as being open on some 2009 mapping. This is currently not the case, however!
Opening Dates
Links
