B986

Route

Denburn Road in Aberdeen

The B986 started in Aberdeen City Centre and headed north then west, paralleling the A96. However, following the review of road numbers in Aberdeen in 2020, it is difficult to be sure how much, if any, of the route survives. As far as can be ascertained, the southern section of the route, south of the Woolmanhill Roundabout has been renumbered as the B983, while the northern section has definitely become unclassified. This leaves the section along Berryden Road as possibly retaining the B986 number, although some maps suggest it is now also the B983. What is certain is that for many years the council have had a plan to dual Berryden Road, and the A96 north to Kittybrewster Roundabout, to provide a new dualled route into the city centre, probably carrying a re-routed A96. This is presumed to be the reason behind the current confusion in numbering.

The remaining section of the B986 therefore starts at the Woolmanhill Roundabout and heads north along the dualled Skene Square to the next roundabout. Skene Square continues as a single carriageway, with room for widening into the grassy strip on the north east side, but as it turns into Caroline Place, buildings line both sides of the road. The A944 is crossed at a signalised crossroads, and then Berryden Road soon widens out with grassy strips on one side or another (behind the hospital boundary wall at one point) to allow future dualling. Beyond the next roundabout, the projected road line forks off to the left between buildings, while the current B986 curves to the right onto Belmont Road, coming to an end at asignalised junction on the A96 a short distance later.

History

Until 2020, the B986 was quite a lot longer. It started on the A93 Wapping Street Gyratory, immediately diving under the Trinity Shopping Centre as it followed Denburn Road north. The dual carriageway also passed under the Union Bridge before emerging in a cutting once filled with railway sidings. This then reached the Woolmanhill Roundabout and the probable current route. At the other end, after a short multiplex north along the A96, the B986 resumed by forking left onto Clifton Road. This road remains parallel to and just a single block south of the A96 as they curve westwards to meet the A92 North Anderson Drive, the B986 again meeting a block south of the Haudagain Roundabout on the A96. The B986 only connected with the southbound carriageway of the A92, however.

The route of the B986 had changed quite a bit since it was first classified in 1922. Indeed, the only original section seems to be Berryden Road and Belmont Road. It is difficult to know when the changes took place, as few maps show numbers for the smaller B roads in city centres, but the original 1922 route is as follows:

Starting on the A92 (later A9013) Union Street, the B986 headed north along Rose Street, later renumbered as the B985. It continued along Esslemont Avenue and doglegged across the B983 into Watson Street to reach Westburn Road, now the A944. Here it turned right and headed east to Berryden Road, and so picked up its probable current route, terminating on the A96, Powis Terrace. The extension along Clifton Road came later, certainly before 1959, but is not explicitly identified on earlier maps. However, the 1950 OS 1:25,000 map does show Clifton Road as a B road, and the 1947 edition appears to indicate that the B road turned north on Anderson Road to meet the A96, because the western end of Clifton Road was still under construction.

In 2020, a major reorganisation of classified roads took place in Aberdeen, with the B986 number supposedly being retired entirely. However, as described above, there is some evidence to suggest that part of it survives. It appears to be the case that the Berryden Road corridor will receive an A-road number upon completion of the current dualling project, which would replace the B986 as far north as the A96. Clifton Road is now unclassified, however.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Aberdeen (Rose Street, Esslemont Avenue, Watson Street, Westburn Road, Berryden Road and Belmont Road)