B701
| B701 | ||||||||||
| Location Map | ||||||||||
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| From: | Drumbrae (NT188749) | |||||||||
| To: | Danderhall (W) (NT297694) | |||||||||
| Via: | Wester Hailes, Fairmilehead | |||||||||
| Distance: | 10.4 miles (16.7 km) | |||||||||
| Meets: | A90, A8, A71, A720, A70, A702, A701, A772, A7 | |||||||||
| Former Number(s): | A720 | |||||||||
| Highway Authorities | ||||||||||
| Traditional Counties | ||||||||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||||||||
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The B701 is essentially the A720 before that road was thought of, being an Edinburgh bypass.
The road starts at traffic lights on the A90 Queensferry Road in Drumbrae. It heads south along the largely residential Drum Brae to reach a roundabout on the A8. On the far side the road bears right by the Costorphine police station before crossing, in quick succession, the Fife Circle and North Clyde Lines and the tram line before reaching a roundabout on the A71.
There is then a multiplex west along the A71 to the next roundabout before the B701 regains its number and continues south along the dual-carriageway Wester Hailes Road. It crosses the Union Canal and Edinburgh to Carlisle railway line before running parallel to the A720 for a short distance to a roundabout, from which south-facing slip roads give access to that road. The road then narrows to S2 before crossing the A70 at traffic lights, after which it continues east to cross a high bridge over the Water of Leith into Colinton where it TOTSOs right. After passing a roundabout from where an unclassified road heads south to (and only to) the A720 the road reaches a T-junction and TOTSOs right again.
The road continues east through Fairmilehead, where it crosses the A702 at traffic lights before reaching a semi-rural section. This lasts as far as Mortonhall, the next suburb, after which there is another traffic-light-controlled crossroads on the A701. The B701 continues east along Captain's Road into Gilmerton where it crosses the A772, again at traffic lights. Now on the last stretch, the road comes within the sight of fields before ending at traffic lights on the A7.
History
In 1922 the B701 only ran between the A71 and A701 along its current route, except between the two TOTSOs in Colinton where it took a longer route to the north. In the 1960s, however, this road was extended in both directions and renumbered A720, leaving the B701 as just the short section in Colinton where the A720 had taken the shorter course.
Later still, the A720 was moved outwards onto its current purpose-built route and so its old route was renumbered as B701; the old route through Colinton was declassified at this time.
