B7029

The B7029 is a largely urban road in Lanarkshire with a short break in the middle.

Route

Mossend - New Carfin

The route starts at a roundabout on the A775 in Mossend near Bellshill, signed towards New Stevenston, and initially heads south on Calder Road. A large church complex sits on the right, with a park beyond opposite modern flats. The route soon passes under a railway bridge carrying the Argyle and Shotts Lines before swinging east at another roundabout. Clydesdale Road is much more suburban, with some larger houses at first, followed by long terraces of old stone houses, and a few modern houses in between. After passing a handful of shops, the route crosses a long railway bridge over the neck of a junction, this time spanning the Argyle and Motherwell to Cumbernauld Lines. A large industrial wasteland spreads away to the south, while a mosque stands on the left just before the route enters New Stevenston on Clydesdale Street. This is soon running alongside the railway line, with bungalows on the right, before the two routes diverge a little.

The B799 then comes in from the left, and the two routes have a very brief (less than 150m-long) multiplex before the B799 turns off again at a roundabout. The B7029, now signposted Carfin, continues ahead along Carfin Street. At first, modern housing sits back on the left behind a green, but most of the road is lined with older stone houses and bungalows as it winds a little and heads south east. Newer housing, including some flats, resumes as the route approaches a series of three closely spaced roundabouts. The first section of the route comes to an end at the third roundabout, where it meets the A723. The two routes then multiplex south through Carfin.

Carfin - Bellside

Passing the entrance to Dalziel Park between Carfin and Cleland

The second section of the B7029 starts at Cleekhimmin roundabout on the southwest side of Carfin, and doubles back on the A723, briefly heading northeastward along Motherwell Road. It then TOTSOs right at a light-controlled crossroads, where the straight-ahead route is the B7066. The B7029 is now signposted for Cleland, and Chapelknowe Road quickly emerges from the urban area into fields. After crossing over another branch of the Argyle Line, it passes a large industrial site on the right, and with houses visible across the fields to the north, it never feels truly rural. A right turn leads to the Dalziel Park Golf and Country Club, and a large modern housing development is subsequently screened by a thick band of trees to the right. A sharp double bend takes the route over a long abandoned railway line, after which more open country leads through to Cleland village. Omoa Road winds into the village, and is soon lined with a typical mixture of suburban housing.

The route TOTSOs left at a mini roundabout at a crossroads, in the centre of Cleland, with a cluster of shops nearby. The route then follows Main Street north east, past the village school and on towards Cleland station (on the Shotts Line). Just before the station, the road swings round to the left through trees, from where it follows the railway for around half a mile along Bellside Road. For most of this distance, there are houses between road and rail, as the road wiggles a little. The houses on the left come to an end just before those on the right, and a few yards further on the B7029 also comes to an end at the Bellside Roundabout with the A73. A73 traffic used to be diverted along the B7029 to avoid the low railway bridge immediately to the north, but this was raised in 2021/2 and so this is no longer the case.

History

The route was originally unclassified but had gained its number by 1932. At that time, it was a single, continuous route, the current break being filled by the B7029 running along New Stevenston Road. However, the construction of the new line of the A723 severed the original route, leading to the current dogleg and multiplex at Carfin.