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B7080

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B7080
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (12)
From:  Eglinton (NS316418)
To:  Shewalton (NS331364)
Via:  Broomlands
Distance:  5.1 miles (8.2 km)
Meets:  A78, A737, A736, B769, B7081, A71, A737, A78
Old route now:  A736
Highway Authorities

North Ayrshire

Traditional Counties

Ayrshire

Route outline (key)
B7080 Eglinton – Mill Roundabout
(A736) Mill Roundabout – Stancastle Roundabout
B7080 Stancastle Roundabout – Shewalton

The B7080 is one of the main distributor routes through the Ayrshire New Town of Irvine. The road was built during the later 1970s and seems to have had its present number from the beginning. All but the final 800m of the route is named Long Drive.

Route

Approaching Stanecastle from the south, showing the flared dual carriageway

The route begins at Eglinton Interchange, a roundabout junction between the A78 and A737, at the northern end of the Irvine Bypass. For the first 300m, the B7080 has two lanes each way as if forms part of the east facing sliproads on to the A78. Arguably, this may technically be part of the A78 or A737. It takes another half mile for the sliproads to converge, the westbound one crossing over the A78 on a long skew bridge. For most of this section, the sliproads are two lanes, but they reduce to a single lane before merging into a standard [{S2]] carriageway. This is the first indication that the route was built with dualling in mind. The eastbound carriageway stays close to the A78 as it skirts past the south side of Eglinton Country Park, the road then curves south eastward past a doocot to a new roundabout built in 2016, which still has two dead end stubs leading nowhere.

The route continues to curve southwards along the tree lined Long Drive, skirting the southern edge of the country park. At length, houses appear on the right, although they are well screened by the trees in the summer months. The large Hill Roundabout is then reached, where the B7080 meets the A736. There is plenty of room for the three main arms to approach as dual carriageways, indeed, there is room for a flyover to create a GSJ. The A736 then takes over, as the two routes multiplex south along Long Drive to Stanecastle Roundabout, although the road itself was originally opened as part of the B7080. Stanecastle Roundabout is another large junction, although older housing on the northern approach means that there is slightly less room for a dual carriageway, or grade separation.

The B7080 passing under the A71 at Greenwood Interchange

From Stanecastle the B7080, now a 50-mph dual carriageway, resumes its southward course. The route is widely flared as it leaves the roundabout, a clear indication that a flyover was originally planned here. The two carriageways then converge and pass under a footbridge to reach Towerlands Roundabout. Again, this appears to be a half built GSJ, with the south facing slips now meeting at a small roundabout which interrupts the dual carriageway, while the tightly curved north facing slips permit limited freeflow movements. The dual carriageway continues south, with a few houses seen through the trees on the left, to cross the Annick Water, and then the carriageways flare once more to reach the large Newmoor Roundabout with the B7081. The route turns to the south east here, with more flared carriageways that barely converge 300m later when they reach the Greenwood Interchange, a grade-separated dumbbell junction with the A71.

The departure from the southern roundabout is slightly oddly aligned, as if the southbound lane cuts across to join the northbound carriageway of what was proposed to be a dual carriageway. The route is still single-carriageway, however, and continues south along the tree lined Long Drive, across the small Riverside Roundabout and then crossing the River Irvine. On the south bank lies the Shewalton industrial area, largely accessed from the Shewalton Roundabout, but most of the sites lie some distance from the road behind patches of woodland. The next roundabout, Oldhall Roundabout, is somewhat larger and sees the route turn round to the right, from where a short westward run along Moss Drive takes it to the Newhouse Interchange, a return to the A78 and A737, and the end of the route.

History

The route was opened in stages as the New Town developed in the 1970s. The OS mapping from 1972/3 doesn't show any of the route, but it was probably under construction at that time. The dualled section between Stanecastle Roundabout and Newmoor Roundabout opened in December 1974, as phase three. Phase two, to the south as far as Oldhall Roundabout appears to have opened earlier, but Moss Road was later. This may explain the routes sharp turn at Oldhall Roundabout onto Moss Road, perhaps a continuation south was originally planned, but never carried out. Phase four, connecting Stanecastle to the Eglinton Interchange was opened later, in summer 1977, therefore completing the route as a through route. Phase four was designed for future dualling, and there are suggestions that phase two was also built with dualling in mind, although the bridge over the Irvine is only single carriageway. Apart from immediately north of Stanecastle Roundabout (technically the A736 at this point), all of Long Drive still has scope to be dualled in the future.

Opening Dates

Year Section Notes
1974 Long Drive Phase 3 Stanecastle Roundabout to Newmoor Roundabout (then A71). Irvine Herald of Friday, 13 December 1974 reported that it had opened at the weekend. It was dual carriageway. Phase 2 southwards to Meadowhead Road was shown as open on the Herald's plan. It had not been shown on the June 1973 OS One inch map, although that map only included selected revisions. Moss Drive had yet to open.
1977 Long Drive Phase 4 Eglinton Interchange to Stanecastle Roundabout. It was due to come into operation on 22 June 1977 (per Irvine Herald of 17 June 1977). Contractor was R.J. Macleod Ltd., cost £800,000. It was built as single carriageway but had provision for future dualling. It included Hill Roundabout at the mid point for access for future housing. It completed Long Drive. The section south of Hill Roundabout was later renumbered A736.




B7080
Junctions
Related Pictures
View gallery (12)
Road Bridge - Geograph - 1805261.jpgThe B7080 towards Broomlands - Geograph - 3696322.jpgTowerlands Roundabout as planned.pngTowerlands Roundabout as built.pngGreenwood Interchange original layout.png
Other nearby roads
Irvine
B7000 – B7999
B7000 • B7001 • B7002 • B7003 • B7004 • B7005 • B7006 • B7007 • B7008 • B7009 • B7010 • B7011 • B7012 • B7013 • B7014 • B7015 • B7016 • B7017 • B7018 • B7019
B7020 • B7021 • B7022 • B7023 • B7024 • B7025 • B7026 • B7027 • B7028 • B7029 • B7030 • B7031 • B7032 • B7033 • B7034 • B7035 • B7036 • B7037 • B7038 • B7039
B7040 • B7041 • B7042 • B7043 • B7044 • B7045 • B7046 • B7047 • B7048 • B7049 • B7050 • B7051 • B7052 • B7053 • B7054 • B7055 • B7056 • B7057 • B7058 • B7059
B7060 • B7061 • B7062 • B7063 • B7064 • B7065 • B7066 • B7067 • B7068 • B7069 • B7070 • B7071 • B7072 • B7073 • B7074 • B7075 • B7076 • B7077 • B7078 • B7079
B7080 • B7081 • B7082 • B7083 • B7084 • B7085 • B7086 • B7087 • B7088 • B7089 • B7090 • B7091 • B7092 • B7093 • B7094 • B7095 • B7096 • B7097 • B7098 • B7099
B7201
Earlier iterations: B7000 • B7011 • B7035 • B7039 • B7054 • B7058

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