B7030

The B7030 is a link road between Wilkieston and Newbridge Junction in West Lothian.

Route

Newbridge

The southern end of the route is in the village of Wilkieston, where it turns off the A71 a T-junction with traffic lights. It heads north along the fairly straight Bonnington Road and is soon out of the village and into countryside. It passes just east of the tiny village of Bonnington, where a turnoff to the northeast is the original line of the B7030 and leads to Ratho. North of Bonnington the route continues along the widened and realigned Cliftonhall Road and meets a couple of minor, unclassified roads: Clifton Road runs southwest to Camps, while on the east there is an access road to Craigpark Quarry. The B7030 then passes under three bridges in quick succession. The first is actually an aqueduct carrying the Union Canal, and then after a left turn there are two for the M8, the first for the westbound onslip from the M9, the second for the main carriageway.

Even though there is no junction between the B7030 and the motorway, the road becomes considerably more built-up as it continues north, mainly with industrial, commercial, and distribution businesses. Cliftonhall Road passes under a railway and then curves to the right through Clifton Trading Estate. A long double bend carries it under another railway line, after which the route curves back to the north as it approaches Newbridge. It then reaches a T-junction with Old Liston Road and TOTSOs to the right, with a small service area on the right. To the left is Newbridge village, while to the right Old Liston Road soon reaches Newbridge Roundabout, which provides all the nearby warehouses with access to the M9 and, via Claylands Interchange, the M8, and marks the northern end of the B7030.

History

The B7030 passing through Ratho in the 1950s

The B7030 was originally unclassified but had gained its number by 1932. However, the present route only dates to around 1990.

Originally the B7030 followed its present route from Wilkieston north as far as Bonnington where it turned right and headed northeast to Ratho. It followed Wilkieston Road and Main Street through this pleasant village, and then curved to the north and crossed the Union Canal. Baird Road then wiggled past the church before heading out across fields. It climbed gently up to Hillend, latterly crossing the M8 along the way, before following Station Road downhill and into Ratho Station. The railway was crossed with a detour left and a tight U bend (now partially Harvest Wynd) before the route resumed its descent of Station Road. The route ultimately ended on the A8 a few hundred yards east of its present northern end. Some of this section has now been bypassed by an upgraded unclassified route and the bridge over the railway line closed to vehicular traffic, with a new one built alongside on Harvest Road, which itself bypasses Ratho Station and heads west to meet the B7030.