B8052
B8052 | |||||||
Location Map ( geo) | |||||||
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From: | Customs roundabout (NS796944) | ||||||
To: | Craigs roundabout (NS799931) | ||||||
Via: | Union Street, Goosecroft Road | ||||||
Distance: | 1 miles (1.6 km) | ||||||
Meets: | A9, A84, A905, A9 | ||||||
Former Number(s): | A84, B8078, A811 | ||||||
Old route now: | B8051 | ||||||
Highway Authorities | |||||||
Traditional Counties | |||||||
Route outline (key) | |||||||
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Route
The B8052 is a short link road in Stirling city centre. Starting on the A9 at the Customs Roundabout, the B8052 heads south west along Union Street and then swings round into Cowane Street and then Goosecroft Road. It passes the station on the left, with the A9 running in a tunnel under the access road, before passing the bus station and running under the Thistle Centre. The route then terminates at the Craigs Roundabout, where it meets the A9 again.
History
The B8052 came to the area around 1930 but was originally much shorter. Prior to the rerouting of the A9 around Stirling's city centre, and the associated rerouting of the A84, the B8052 followed Union Street alone, at barely 100m in length. At the time this was obviously a useful shortcut, but it is doubtful that much long distance traffic used it, as it could have avoided Stirling completely by using the A820 to the north.
Mapping evidence of the exact chronology in the late 1960s and early 1970s is incomplete, which is frustrating as the route seems to have changed quite a lot. The 1967 OS 1:10,000 sheet still shows the original section on Union Street as the only part of the B8052. However, by the 1971 One Inch map, the route is shown as continuing south along the former A84 and A9 lines to the St Ninians Roundabout. Completion of the A9 throughpass and associated works seems to have occurred after the new dual carriageway was completed further south, so presumably the B8052 was extended south along the original eastern end of the A84 to its terminus on Wallace Street, and then the old A9 southwards in one go. There was a short multiplex along the A811 between Station Road and Upper Craigs, at this time, then the B8052 reappeared to follow the pre-bypass A9 to the southern end of the bypass in St Ninian's.
The northern end of Goosecroft Road was built new around the same time as the present A9 and originally had the B8078 number, whilst the southern end was renumbered from the B9111 to A811 at the same time. This situation didn't last long, however, and the B8052 was quickly rerouted this way. At the same time it was curtailed by the A811 and so the B8051 was extended along the southern part of the vacated route.