A71

The A71 was an important route historically, connecting Ayrshire with the Scottish Capital of Edinburgh. However, in the modern era, the construction of the Scottish Motorway network, despite forming a longer route, has provided a quicker and more reliable journey, so removing most long distance traffic from the A71.

Route

Main Article: A71/Route

Stretching from the western fringes of Edinburgh City Centre to the Ayrshire coast at Irvine, the A71 crosses southern Scotland almost from coast to coast. Along the way it links old mining communities, two New Towns, crosses rich agricultural districts and passes through several historic towns and villages. With winding rural sections and fast flowing dual carriageways, the A71 has a bit of everything along the way.

History

Main Article: A71/History

The route of the A71 was the major agricultural artery connecting Edinburgh and Ayrshire. Later it became a route which connected many of Scotland's coalfields together, with evidence of coal mining in many places along the route. It remained an important route even after the decline in mining. However, with the completion of the M77 southward from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and the connecting northern M74 extension it now makes more sense for traffic from Edinburgh to opt for the M8-M73-M74-M77 route to Ayrshire than the backwaterish A71. As it stands, the route is still a crucial one, though it has suffered from patchy maintenance and several unimproved stretches, especially through its South Lanarkshire section where it has been eclipsed by other routes.

Opening dates

Dates for all new bypass sections, with associated maps, can be seen at A71/Improvements Timeline

Notable Bridges and Junctions

Garrion Bridge

Main Article: Garrion Bridge

For many years Garrion Bridge had been a severe bottleneck on the A71, but in 2002 a second bridge was built, converting the junction into a roundabout, and in conjunction to improvements to the A72 junction a year before, traffic has been substantially eased.

Canderside Toll

Main Article: Canderside Toll

The A71 historically crossed the A74, Glasgow to Carlisle route at a crossroads at Canderside Toll. The construction of the M74 motorway in the 1960s added an extra dimension to this junction, which is now a busy interchange at the south end of Larkhall.

Bellfield Interchange

Main Article: Bellfield Interchange

The A71 was diverted along the former A734 to cross the A77 Kilmarnock bypass at the Bellfield Interchange in the 1960s. The route to the west followed almost two decades later.