A82 road
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| Major junctions | |
| From: | Glasgow |
 A83 road A85 road A86 road A87 road |
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| To: | Inverness |
| Location | |
| Primary destinations: |
Glasgow, Erskine Bridge, Dumbarton, Crianlarich, Fort William, Fort Augustus, Inverness |
| Road network | |
The A82 is a trunk road in Scotland. It is the principal route from Lowland Scotland to the western Scottish Highlands, running from Glasgow to Inverness, going by Loch Lomond, Glen Coe and Fort William. At 175 miles (282 km), it is the second-longest primary A-road in Scotland after the A9, which is the other principal route to Inverness from the south of Scotland. In the Gàidhealtachd (the Gaelic-speaking parts of Scotland), the A82 is equipped with bilingual road signs - currently the only long distance trunk route in the Highlands from the South to be thus furnished.
Route[edit]
The A82 begins in the St. Georges Cross area of central Glasgow, at junctions with the M8 and the A804 (NS582663), before threading through the city's West End. Glasgow's "Boulevard" (known officially as Great Western Road), is also this urban section of the A82, passing a number of the city's finest terraces, including Alexander "Greek" Thomson's Great Western Terrace, and Devonshire Gardens. The road runs northwest through the city, through Kelvinside, Anniesland, Blairdardie, Clydebank and Dumbarton, before turning north to head up the western shore of Loch Lomond. At Tarbet, Argyll and Bute (NN319044), the A83 branches off west to Campbeltown.
From Tarbet, the A82 then leads through Crianlarich and Tyndrum. From Crianlarich (NN384253) and Tyndrum (NN325307), respectively, the A85 runs east to Perth and west to Oban.
The A82 continues north and passes the western fringes of Rannoch Moor and through the spectacular Glen Coe. The road then crosses Loch Leven and runs along the side of Loch Linnhe to Fort William. From Fort William it follows the line of the Great Glen (through which the Caledonian Canal also runs) northeast through Fort Augustus and up the western shore of Loch Ness before ending at junctions with the A9 in Inverness (NH673467).
The A82 North of Tyndrum and over Rannoch Moor was built in the 1930s using unemployed labour, in an attempt to provide work.
Some statistics seem to indicate that the A82 between Tarbet and Tyndrum is the third most dangerous road in Scotland[1][2] though other research publicised in 2011 disputes this.[3]
The Tarbert to Tyndrum stretch of the A82 follows the edge of Loch Lomond, frequently narrowing and including a number of hairpin bends. The road is squeezed between the railway line and the loch, with hill sides rising steeply, posing challenges to any road improvement plans.
In 2012, Pulpit Rock viaduct has been approved and it will begin in Spring 2013 and complete in 2014.
References[edit]
- ^ Danger road report 'misleading', BBC News, 18 February 2002, accessed 3 September 2008
- ^ A82 assessment, European Road Assessment Programme website, accessed 3 September 2008
- ^ Collins atlas rates five Scottish A roads 'high risk', BBC News, 19 August 2011, accessed 22 August 2011
External links[edit]
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