The A725 road in Scotland is a major route which is a trunk road

dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

for almost its whole length, connecting several of the large towns of

North Lanarkshire North Lanarkshire ( sco, North Lanrikshire; gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It als ...

and

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

, linking the M8 and M74 motorways; it has been upgraded frequently since its construction, with the most recent major work completed in 2017. In combination with the

A726 road The A726 road in Scotland is a major route with several distinct sections with different characteristics and names; owing to its stages of construction, since 2005 it has two separate parts, the first running between Strathaven in South Lanar ...

which meets the

M77 motorway The M77 motorway is a motorway in Scotland. It begins in Glasgow at the M8 motorway at Kinning Park, and terminates near Kilmarnock at Fenwick, becoming the A77 dual carriageway. Changes were made in 2005 segregating a lane on the M8 motor ...

, it forms a southern and eastern bypass for the city of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

Route and history

Bellshill Bypass

The northern section of the A725 begins to the east of

Coatbridge Coatbridge ( sco, Cotbrig or Coatbrig, gd, Drochaid a' Chòta) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Airdrie, Coatbrid ...

town centre where it meets the A89; it runs south through the

Whifflet Whifflet ( sco, The Whufflit, gd, Magh na Cruithneachd) is now a suburb of Coatbridge, Scotland, which once formed its own distinctive village. It is referred to locally as 'The Whifflet' (and pronounced ''whiff-lit''). Presently located in the N ...

and Shawhead neighbourhoods, then links with the A8 and M8 (Junction 7A) in a complex, partially grade-separated junction at Shawhead and travels south past

Bellshill Bellshill (pronounced "Bells hill") is a town in North Lanarkshire in Scotland, southeast of Glasgow city centre and west of Edinburgh. Other nearby localities are Motherwell to the south, Hamilton to the southwest, Viewpark to the w ...

, flanked by two large

industrial estate An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park ...

s that have a dedicated exit, with additional exits at Belziehill for central Bellshill and

Viewpark Viewpark is an area in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Situated immediately north-east of Uddingston (but on the other side of the M74 motorway), Viewpark is west of Bellshill. It has an estimated population of 13,916 in 2016, a figure which also ...

( A721), and for Orbiston. This was the first section of the route to be developed, completed in 1968. It links with the M74 at Junction 5 (Raith Interchange) near Strathclyde Country Park,Transport Scotland hail engineering marvel of M74 construction, 50 years on
Daily Record, 5 December 2016 in a triple-layer junction with a stacked roundabout. The Raith Interchange was considerably upgraded between 2014 and 2017 to address traffic congestion issues, with the A725 – which previously directed all traffic into a roundabout – now running beneath both the roundabout and the M74 and only those vehicles changing route required to join the roundabout.M8, M73, M74 motorway improvements in Scotland
Go Construct, 21 December 2020

East Kilbride Expressway

The A725 continues as the East Kilbride Expressway, a dual carriageway running south-west around

Bothwell Bothwell is a conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, east-south-east of Glasgow city centre. Description and history An ancien ...

, crossing over the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

then immediately dipping under the historic

Bothwell Bridge Bothwell is a conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, east-south-east of Glasgow city centre. Description and history An anc ...

, through

High Blantyre High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...

(with exits for the A724 (Low Blantyre /

Burnbank Burnbank is an area in the town of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was formerly a separate mining village before being absorbed into the town. Location and governance Burnbank, previously an independent settlement, then part of Hamil ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

, and the

University of the West of Scotland The University of the West of Scotland ( gd, Oilthigh na h-Alba an Iar), formerly the University of Paisley, is a public university with four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, Blantyre, South Lanar ...

campus) on to Nerston in the north of

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a rais ...

. There, it links with the A749 (which runs to

Rutherglen Rutherglen (, sco, Ruglen, gd, An Ruadh-Ghleann) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having existed as a Lanarkshire burgh in its own ...

and south-eastern Glasgow) at the Whirlies Roundabout – a short spur was constructed between the two roads in the 1990s to bypass the Whirlies and ease congestion. It then heads south as the 'Kingsway' between the Calderwood and East Mains neighbourhoods towards the town centre and terminates where it meets the A726 (its section within East Kilbride referred to as the 'Queensway') at Birniehill roundabout near St Leonard's. This southern section was completed in two parts; the 'Kingsway' within East Kilbride was completed as part of the work to transform the small settlement into a

New Town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

in 1957, with the remaining section between the town and the Raith Interchange completed in stages between 1967 and 1983.

References

External links

*
A725

SABRE A sabre (French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:7-0725 Roads in Scotland Transport in North Lanarkshire Transport in South Lanarkshire East Kilbride Coatbridge Bellshill Blantyre, South Lanarkshire