Couston Crossroads

Today Couston Crossroads lies on the A801 to the north west of Bathgate. It has always been the northern terminus of the A800, although in the past the main junction lay a couple of hundred metres further west.

When the A801 was constructed as a strategic link between the M8 and M9, it was conceived as a route which may need to be dualled in the future. As such, the road was built as a wide dual carriageway through the junction, with paired turning lanes in the central reservation. The A800 was turned slightly to meet the new road at right angles, and its former line on the west of the new road (now the B8028 was completely realigned to produce a staggered crossroads, with the right turning lanes running side-by-side in the central reservation, while also leaving room for traffic to turn right out of the side roads.

History

Obviously, the current line of the A801 is a new build road through fields at this point. The old route of the A706 lies a couple of hundred metres to the west, and also featured a crossroads junction, where the B8028 and A800 originally met. Today, this is a T junction, with the southern arm of the former A706 now the B8084 and the northern end closed up, albeit still used as a farm access. This junction was also slightly staggered, as it had the added excitement of a railway line passing diagonally underneath.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
A800	Bathgate
A801	Linlithgow (A706), Falkirk (M9)
A801	Livingston, Lanark (A706), (M8)
B8028	Westfield, Avonbridge
B8084	Armadale
A706	Armadale	now B8084
A706	Linlithgow (A706), Falkirk (M9)	replaced by A801