A978

The A978 formed part of an inner bypass or middle ring road for Aberdeen. Although the southern section of the road, connecting back to the A956 to the south of the city centre, appeared to be missing, the A978 did have both ends on the original line of the A92, hence why no further section of the A978 was apparently deemed necessary. The route started at the School Road/St Machar Drive roundabout on the A956 King Street in Old Aberdeen to the north of the city centre. It progressed westward along and up St Machar Drive, passing the University of Aberdeen before meeting the B991 Bedford Road at a roundabout, which was converted to a signalised crossroads in 2016.

The A978 then continued west, passing St Machar Academy, to reach the Roundabout on the A96. It crossed over here and progressed south west along Leslie Road and Hilton Street, passing the University of Aberdeen's Hilton Campus before reaching the surprisingly small Six Roads Roundabout, which was the junction with the A9012 and three unclassified roads, but is now entirely unclassified. The road then headed south along Westburn Drive, meeting the A9011 Ashgrove Road West at traffic lights, then meeting the A944 Westburn Drive at another set of lights. It then continued to head south, meeting the B983 Midstocket Road/Rosemount Place at another signalised junction.

Craigie Loanings

The route then continued down Craigie Loanings and onto Albert Street, before having to TOTSO right onto Victoria Street then left at a T-junction onto Alford Place, with neither junction assisted by traffic lights. It ended on the A9013 soon after at the signalised Union Street / Holburn Street junction.

It should be noted that the A978 was signed from the A956, but nowhere else along the route, except for a sign giving distances on St Machar Drive westbound. There was once a similar distance sign on Leslie Road, along with a signpost on the Six Roads roundabout, but these were replaced with generic white signs indicting the route to Old Aberdeen and the University. There was definitely no mention of the route number on the ground anywhere south of the Six Roads roundabout.

History

The A978 was first classified in the mid 1920s, and appears to have hardly changed route during its lifetime. The only notable change (other than junction improvements) was that the southern terminus was originally at the end of Victoria Street, as Alford Place was originally the A944. The route was extended that short distance in the 1980s when the A944 was re-routed. The A978 lost its number in 2020 following a significant reclassification of routes within Aberdeen after the opening of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. The only section of the road which remains a classified route is St Machar Drive from the A956 to the A96 which now forms the B991 (the B991 formerly ran at right angles, heading south along Bedford Road).