Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
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- MotorwayGuy
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Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
- Steven
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Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
Because it was built as a lot of small sections, it used the "small bypasses" style of numbering otherwise not really seen since the 1970s. Remember that it was planned to end up as M6 rather than M74.
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Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/ind ... M)_History
From the SABRE Wiki: M74 and A74%28M%29 History :
The M74 and A74(M) are motorways in southern Scotland, the latter being a southward continuation of the former. Considered together, they run from Glasgow to a point just south of the English border near Gretna, where they meet the M6. They form the only substantially-D3M long-distance rural motorway in Scotland. (The A74(M) is D3M throughout; the M74 is a mixture of D2M and D3M, with some sections near Glasgow widened to D4M in 2017.)
To restate
Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
Thanks for that, totally forgot about the M6 renumbering plans, just went over my head.
Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
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Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
Not sure why you'd describe it as a "power trip" - just common sense. And it continued through Dewar's period as SoS, then died out when the Scottish parliament came.
Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
I've got maps from 1992/93 showing the Gretna bypass as M74 - and don't forget there used to be M74 chopsticks signs leaving Gretna services too.
This adds another layer of mystery to it all.
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Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
Possibly because before 1999 the Scottish Government did not exist ! The A74(M) followed the old A74 (now B7076) pretty closely. In any case I found this on roads.org
https://www.roads.org.uk/index.php/motorway/m74 wrote: At its southern end (or, strictly, the southern end of the A74(M)), the route is a continuous motorway right down to the M1 at Rugby, thanks to the M6. When the Scottish part of the motorway was built, the new signs were manufactured with "A74(M)" and "M74" on stuck-on plates, and it is known that if these were removed it would read "M6" underneath. Originally it was proposed that it would be renumbered once the motorway was connected to the M6, but the two were linked in 2008 and no change in number ever happened. The Scottish Government are now very evasive about the whole issue, not actually ruling out the idea of ever extending the M6 into Scotland, but certainly making it clear that there's no current plan to do it.
Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
- Mapper89062
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Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
That doesn't explain why there are maps (and signs) that referred to the oldest section of what is now the A74(M) as M74, which is the question I asked.KeithW wrote: ↑Fri Mar 29, 2024 12:14Possibly because before 1999 the Scottish Government did not exist ! The A74(M) followed the old A74 (now B7076) pretty closely. In any case I found this on roads.org
https://www.roads.org.uk/index.php/motorway/m74 wrote: At its southern end (or, strictly, the southern end of the A74(M)), the route is a continuous motorway right down to the M1 at Rugby, thanks to the M6. When the Scottish part of the motorway was built, the new signs were manufactured with "A74(M)" and "M74" on stuck-on plates, and it is known that if these were removed it would read "M6" underneath. Originally it was proposed that it would be renumbered once the motorway was connected to the M6, but the two were linked in 2008 and no change in number ever happened. The Scottish Government are now very evasive about the whole issue, not actually ruling out the idea of ever extending the M6 into Scotland, but certainly making it clear that there's no current plan to do it.
I am very familiar with why the rest of it has been called A74(M), I want to know an answer to this specific question regarding the Gretna Bypass.
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Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
Ian Lang was responsible for a significant transfer of power from councils to the Scottish Office, plus a good bunch of other moves.
It's the sort of thing he would dictate.
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Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
The whole project in Scotland appears to have been known solely as M74 until about a year before the Gretna bypass opened.
Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
Carlisle is signed pretty heavily from all over the central belt though in lieu of England
Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
Re: Why does the M6 turn into the M74 in Scotland?
Yes. The contract was awarded in 1996 and included building the motorway from south of J14 to J16, and maintaining from J12 to the English border for 30 years.