View source for A74 road

{{Short description|Road in Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox road
| country = SCT
| type = A
| route = 74
| map = 
| length_mi = 6.3
| direction_a = West
| terminus_a = {{jct|country=GBR|A|8|name1= }} {{jct|country=GBR|A|728|name1= }} at Gorbals, Glasgow
| direction_b = East
| terminus_b = {{jct|country=GBR|A|721|name1= }} at [[Broomhouse, Glasgow|Broomhouse]], Glasgow
| junction = {{jct|country=GBR|M|74|name1= }}
| destinations = 
| previous_type = A
| next_type = A
| previous_route = 73
| next_route = 75
| municipalities = [[Glasgow]]
}}
[[File:Harthope Viaduct over B 7076 - geograph.org.uk - 943207.jpg|thumb|300px|The former A74, now B7076, with the [[Caledonian Railway]] crossing overhead via the [[Harthope Viaduct]], on the [[West Coast Main Line]] in [[Dumfries and Galloway]]. One half of the former dual carriageway has been removed.]]
The '''A74''', also known historically as the '''Glasgow to Carlisle Road''', is a formerly major road in the United Kingdom, linking [[Glasgow]] in Scotland to [[Carlisle, Cumbria|Carlisle]] in [[North West England]], passing through [[Clydesdale (district)|Clydesdale]], [[Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway|Annandale]] and the [[Southern Uplands]]. It formed part of the longer route between Glasgow and [[London]]. A road has existed in this area since Roman Britain, and it was considered one of the most important roads in Scotland, being used as a regular mail service route.

The road received a substantial upgrade in the early 19th century under the direction of [[Thomas Telford]], who made significant engineering improvements, including a new route over the [[Beattock Summit]] and the [[Metal Bridge, Cumbria|Metal Bridge]] just in England just south of the border. Engineering improvements continued throughout the century and into the 20th, and it became one of the first trunk roads in Britain in 1936. From the 1960s the road started to be replaced by a parallel [[motorway]], largely designated the [[A74(M) and M74 motorways|M74]].<ref>[https://www.glasgowmotorwayarchive.org/m74 M74 {{!}} Glasgow to Gretna], Glasgow Motorway Archive, March 2021</ref> The last remaining section of all-purpose road on Telford's original alignment, the so-called "Cumberland Gap" between Carlisle and Metal Bridge, was replaced by a motorway in 2008 after years of delays due to a breakdown in discussions between the Westminster and Scottish governments. Currently the A74 is a suburban route of local importance that links the [[Gorbals]] and [[Broomhouse, Glasgow|Broomhouse]] districts of Glasgow, via neighbourhoods in the city's East End.

The road was infamous for its allegedly high accident rate, being dubbed a "killer road", which exacerbated the need to provide an alternative motorway route. Several high-profile accidents occurred, most notoriously the debris of [[Pan Am Flight 103]] in December 1988, which partially fell on the road near [[Lockerbie]] and caused several fatalities.

== Route ==

=== Original route ===
[[File:A74 road 1932.png|thumb|left|300px|The southern section of the A74 through [[Dumfriesshire]] in 1932]]
The original route as classified by the [[Ministry of Transport (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Transport]] was published as "Carlisle (Kingstown)–[[Gretna Green]]–[[Lockerbie]]–[[Crawford, South Lanarkshire|Crawford]]–[[Hamilton, South Lanarkshire|Hamilton]]–[[Cambuslang]]–Glasgow".<ref name="hmso">{{cite book|title=List of class I and class II roads and numbers|author=Ministry of Transport (Roads Department)|publisher=HMSO|year=1923|page=59}}</ref> It started at the junction of Parkhouse Road and Kingstown Road to the north of Carlisle city centre, and followed a northwest route, crossing the [[River Esk (Solway Firth)|River Esk]] at [[Metal Bridge, Cumbria|Metal Bridge]] and the [[Caledonian Railway]] at the [[Mossband Viaduct]] before crossing the Scottish border at the [[River Sark]].<ref name="mot23">{{cite map|publisher=[[Ordnance Survey]]|scale=Half Inch / Mile|series=Ministry of Transport Road Map|at=Sheets 27,31|year=1923|title=Half inch Ministry of Transport Road Map|url=http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.php?view=55.85164,-4.24731&map=NPEMap&zoom=7&layer=4|access-date=4 March 2013}}</ref>

After passing through Gretna and Gretna Green, it followed the general line of the Caledonian railway toward [[Lockerbie]] and crossed the [[River Annan]] over a {{convert|24.4|m|yards|adj=on}}  bridge at [[Johnstonebridge]]. It followed the Annan valley into a rural area away from any settlements as it crossed the [[Beattock Summit]] between the Annan and [[River Clyde|Clyde]] valleys towards [[Elvanfoot]]. This section is on a different alignment from the Roman Road, which, as might be expected, took a straighter route across more mountainous terrain, particularly at the Roman signal station near Black Fell.<ref name="ice"/><ref name="7th">{{cite map|publisher=[[Ordnance Survey]]|scale=One Inch / Mile|series=Seventh Series|at=Sheet 68 (Biggar, Moffat and Sanquhar)|year=1962|title=Seventh Series Sheet 68 (Biggar, Moffat and Sanquar)|url=http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.php?view=55.39223,-3.53017&map=NPEMap&zoom=13&layer=1|access-date=8 July 2013}}</ref>

At Elvanfoot it crossed the River Clyde on a {{convert|27.4|m|yards|adj=on}} span single-arch bridge, and continued to follow the Clyde Valley past the Roman Fort at Crawford towards [[Abington, South Lanarkshire|Abington]], where the Roman road to [[Edinburgh]] (now the [[A702 road|A702]]) branched to the right. It left this sparsely populated section in the Southern Uplands and entered the [[Clydesdale (district)|Clydesdale]] communities of [[Lesmahagow]], [[Kirkmuirhill]] and [[Larkhall]], crossing the River Avon into Hamilton.<ref name="7th"/>

Beyond Hamilton, it followed the Glasgow Road north-west, crossing the Clyde at the [[Dalmarnock Bridge]]. It ended at the junction of Trongate and Gallowgate in the east end of Glasgow city centre.<ref name="mot23"/> According to a summary in a report by the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]], the length was {{convert|150|km|miles}}.<ref name="ice"/>

=== Current route ===
The original road has been largely downgraded and renumbered and now only one short stub remains outside the Glasgow area; within the city boundaries it contains various remnants of a project from the 1930s that rerouted the road to run from Hamilton to Glasgow via [[Uddingston]] and the [[King's Bridge, Glasgow|King's Bridge]].<ref name="MT39-246"/>

According to contemporary [[Ordnance Survey]] mapping, the A74 starts in the [[Gorbals]] as Ballater Street, meeting the [[A8 road (Scotland)|A8]] (the [[A728 road|A728]] also starts here) and crosses the Clyde at the King's Bridge, runs through [[Glasgow Green]] and into the East End suburbs ([[Bridgeton, Glasgow|Bridgeton]], [[Celtic Park]] football stadium / [[Parkhead]], [[Lilybank]], [[Braidfauld]], [[Foxley, Glasgow|Foxley]] and [[Mount Vernon, Glasgow|Mount Vernon]], all as London Road), then becoming Hamilton Road and running eastwards as far as [[Broomhouse, Glasgow|Broomhouse]] where it ends at the Black Bear Roundabout, a feeder for the [[M74 motorway|M74]] Junction 3A ([[Daldowie]]). The road continues as the dual carriageway [[A721 road|A721]] for a short distance underneath the elevated lanes of the [[M73 motorway|M73]] Maryville Interchange until a small roundabout towards either [[Birkenshaw, North Lanarkshire|Birkenshaw]] (B7001) or Uddingston – the latter route becomes the A74 again (on its original alignment) for a matter of a few hundred yards to Powburn junction, where New Edinburgh Road eastwards then takes on the A721 designation leading on to [[Viewpark]] and [[Bellshill]], while Uddingston Main Street southwards downgrades to the B7071.<ref>{{cite map |url=http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.php?view=A74&gr=55.83592,-4.16509&map=OSMMap&zoom=8&layer=1|scale=1:10 000|series=OS Street View|publisher=[[Ordnance Survey]]|title=SABRE - Maps |access-date=3 March 2013}}</ref>

{{-}}

== History ==

=== 19th century ===
[[File:Henry Raeburn (1756-1823) - Thomas Telford (1757–1834) - LL 3147 - Lady Lever Art Gallery.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Thomas Telford]], who was responsible for creating the route of what became the A74 as it existed for much of the 19th and 20th centuries]]

The A74 evolved from the Glasgow – Carlisle mail route. Originally, this followed the course of [[Roman roads]], but by the early 19th century, this had become impractical as a fast through route for mail coaches.<ref name="telford" /> The problem had been exacerbated by the ineffective use of turnpike tolls, most of which consisted of little more than trying to fill potholes with stones. After an accident at a bridge crossing Evan Water,<ref>{{cite news |title=Report of Manchester Hospitals |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ |work=Manchester Mercury page 4 |agency=British Library Board & British Newspaper Archive |publisher=J Harrod |date=1 Nov 1808}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Forrest |first1=William |title=The County of Lanark from Actual Survey (Map) |date=1816 |publisher=Iprnt Edinburgh s.n. 1816 |location=National Library of Scotland |page=EMS.b.2.29 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/ |access-date=15 Feb 2020}}</ref><ref name="7th"/> which killed two horses and destroyed a coach, the Post Office became fed up with trying to improve the route through the turnpike system and, considering it to be one of the most important roads in Scotland, decided to seek alternative means to improve it.<ref name="miller"/> Thomas Telford stated that "the existing road is in such as ruinous state as to occasion much delay",<ref name="telford" /> and he managed to obtain a grant under the guise of the [[Commissioners of Highland Roads and Bridges]], to design engineering improvements to the route.<ref name="miller">{{cite journal|url=http://www.dgnhas.org.uk/transonline/SerIII-Vol65.pdf|title=The Carlisle to Glasgow Road : An Early 19th century attempt to improve and maintain Scotland's Most Important Road|last1=Miller|first1=Norman|last2=Miller|first2=Margaret|publisher=Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society|pages=100–102|access-date=4 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510085218/http://www.dgnhas.org.uk/transonline/SerIII-Vol65.pdf|archive-date=10 May 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="william">{{cite book|title=The Turnpike Road System in England: 1663–1840|last=Albert|first=William|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2007|isbn=9780521033916|page=147}}</ref>

Telford was particularly concerned about being able to reduce gradients and improve drainage on roads,<ref name="william"/>  and recommended an improved route of a width no less than 34 feet, the central 18 feet being [[metalled]], and the remainder being two gravel verges.<ref name="telford">{{cite book|title=Life of Thomas Telford ... written by himself|page=473|last=Telford|first=Thomas|editor1-last=Rickman|editor1-first=John|publisher=[[British Library]]|year=1838}}</ref> The route was surveyed by [[William Alexander Provis]] in 1814–15,<ref name="ice"/> and commenced construction in 1816.<ref name="cleland">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OAxDAAAAcAAJ&dq=glasgow+carlisle+road&pg=PA279|title=Enumeration of the inhabitants of the city of Glasgow and county of Lanark, for the government census of 1831: with population and statistical tables relative to England and Scotland|last=Cleland|first=James|publisher=Smith|year=1832|page=279}}</ref> The project was completed in 1825 at a total cost of £50,000, and like the earlier route, it was tolled. While the various [[Turnpike trust|turnpike]] trusts retained control for a few sections, the vast majority was rebuilt under the direction of Telford.<ref name="ice"/> Eight new toll-houses were constructed – one of these, at Dinwoodie Lodge near [[Johnstonebridge]] still exists today, and became a [[Listed building|Grade I Listed building]] in December 1988.<ref name="miller"/>

Notable engineering feats included taking the road over the Beattock Summit, construction of the original Metal Bridge just south of the Scottish Border in 1820,<ref name="ice">{{cite web|url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=1239 |publisher=Institute of Chartered Engineers |title=Glasgow to Carlisle road |access-date=4 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304203642/http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=1239 |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> and carrying the road over [[Cartland Craigs]] by a 130-foot viaduct. According to author Frederick Mort, the Glasgow to Carlisle road "became a model for future engineers."<ref name="mort">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NbtPffOCcZcC&dq=glasgow+carlisle+road&pg=PA133|title=Lanarkshire : Cambridge County Geographies|last=Mort|first=Frederick|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2012|isbn=9781107616707|page=133}}</ref>

=== 20th century ===
[[File:A74 North of Moffat - geograph.org.uk - 94213.jpg|thumb|left|The A74 south of Beattock Summit in February 1969]]

In 1916, Telford's original metal bridge was replaced by a modern concrete structure at a cost of £16,000. A small section of the original bridge was housed in Tullie House Museum in Carlisle.<ref name="miller"/>

Roads started to be classified with route numbers in 1921,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.cbrd.co.uk/index.php5?title=Memorandum_on_Route_Numbering|title=Memorandum on Route Numbering|publisher=The National Archives|id=MT 39/241|date=28 June 1922|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> with the Glasgow – Carlisle road receiving the number A74, mostly following the route as designed by Telford. On 16 May 1936, the road was diverted away from Telford's route to run from Glasgow to Motherwell via [[Uddingston]] — it is a portion of this realignment that forms the modern A74 route within Glasgow.<ref name="MT39-246"/> It became a trunk road when the act was first published in 1936.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1936/dec/14/trunk-roads-bill#S5LV0103P0_19361214_HOL_164|title=Trunk Roads Bill|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=14 December 1936|access-date=3 April 2013}}</ref> A contemporary report also suggested renumbering the entire A74, along with the [[A82 road|A82]] as an extension of the [[A6 road (England)|A6]] to [[Inverness]], matching the London — Carlisle — Glasgow — Inverness trunk road as used in internal Ministry of Transport documentation, but this was rejected as the cost of replacing signs would be prohibitively expensive.<ref name="MT39-246">{{cite journal|title=Renumbering of Classified Routes|publisher=The National Archives|id=MT 39/246|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details/AssetMain?iaid=C3543658|date=1933–1942}}</ref>

Due to its continued status as one of the most important connections between England and Scotland, talks began in the 1950s to improve its quality to cater for modern motor traffic. While a {{convert|4+1/2|mi|km|adj=on}} section of [[dual carriageway]] had already been completed before [[World War II]], [[Tom Steele (politician)|Tom Steele]], then MP for [[Lanark (UK Parliament constituency)|Lanark]], was particularly keen on the entire route from Carlisle to Uddingston being dualled before the mid-1960s. On 2 August 1956, he received a memo from the Secretary of State for Transport about the matter, which stated "the plan is to complete the conversion in about 10 years. When this work is completed there will be a dual carriageway leading from the Border to Uddingston with no built-up areas along its length."<ref name="steele">{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1960/jul/28/road-traffic|title=Road Traffic|last=Steele|first=Tom|date=28 July 1960|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|access-date=3 April 2013}}</ref>

By the early 1960s, these plans had changed to consider building a motorway in preference for the more straightforward online upgrades.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1964/jan/29/central-scotland#S5CV0688P0_19640129_HOC_50|title=Central Scotland|last=Noble|first=Michael|date=29 January 1964|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> The original section of the M74 in the mid-1960s ran from just north of [[Kirkmuirhill]] in South Lanarkshire, connecting to an earlier dual carriageway bypass, to [[Hamilton, Scotland|Hamilton]].<ref>{{cite map|title=Lanark and Upper Nithsdale|scale=1:50 000|series=Landranger|at=Sheet 71|publisher=[[Ordnance Survey]]|year=1985}}</ref> It was completed northwards in two stages, initially to Bothwell Bridge, and then Uddingston.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1965/may/05/motorways#S5CV0711P0_19650505_CWA_46|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|last=Ross|first=William|title=Motorways|date=5 May 1965|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> In 1987, the then Secretary of State for Scotland, [[Malcolm Rifkind]], announced the intention of completing the M74 from Glasgow to Carlisle. This commenced with a series of "fast track" road improvements, the initial two being between Abington and Millbank, then from Kirkpatrick Fleming to Gretna.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1989/may/18/trunk-road-programme#S6CV0153P0_19890518_CWA_413|title=Trunk Road Programme|last=Rifkind|first=Malcolm|author-link=Malcolm Rifkind|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=18 May 1989|access-date=3 April 2013}}</ref>

By 2008, the A74(M) motorway extended southwards to the northern terminus of the [[M6 motorway|M6]], at the Scottish border, and was extended northwards in the mid-1990s as far as the Glasgow suburbs of [[Carmyle]] and [[Tollcross, Glasgow|Tollcross]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/default_content/12454640.m74-extension-will-gap-ever-filled/|title=M74 extension: Will the gap ever be filled?|work=The Herald|date=10 December 2007|access-date=6 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1994/oct/31/transport-and-the-environment#S6CV0248P0_19941031_HOC_440|title=Transport and the Environment|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|last=Marshall|first=David|date=31 October 1994|access-date=4 July 2013|quote="We desperately need to complete the M74 from where it comes to an end at Tollcross in my constituency."}}</ref> In 2011 it was further extended to meet the M8.<ref name="Transport Scotland Opening Benefits">{{cite web|title=M74 will benefit Scottish Economy|url=http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/M74-Completion-Scottish-Economy-benefit|publisher=[[Transport Scotland]]|access-date=5 April 2013|date=28 June 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606230052/http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/M74-Completion-Scottish-Economy-benefit|archive-date=6 June 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The parallel road which was the A74 has been mostly downgraded in two sections as the B7076 and B7078.

=== Cumberland Gap ===
[[File:A74 - The last 10Km - geograph.org.uk - 469701.jpg|thumb|left|The A74 Cumberland Gap in 2007]]
The Cumberland Gap (named after the historic county of [[Cumberland]], now part of [[Cumbria]]) was the {{convert|5.8|miles|km}}<ref name="bbc20081205"/> of A74 between the northern terminus of the M6 at Carlisle, and the south end of the A74(M) at the Scottish border. It existed as an isolated stub from 1992, when the A74 was improved to motorway standard around Gretna,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1991/apr/24/trunk-roads#S6CV0189P0_19910424_CWA_212|title=Trunk Roads|last=Lang|first=Ian|date=24 April 1991|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> to 2008, when the M6 was extended northwards. Scottish ministers had previously expressed disappointment at slow progress over the border; in 1964, [[Dumfriesshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Dumfries]] MP [[Hector Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm|Hector Monro]] stated "there is widespread feeling in the south of Scotland that the advance south over the Border of this important new road is being delayed because England is dragging her feet."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1964/dec/16/a74-dual-carriageways#S5CV0704P0_19641216_HOC_78|title=A.74 (Dual-Carriageways)|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|last=Munro|first=Hector|author-link=Hector Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm|date=16 December 1964|access-date=3 April 2013}}</ref>
[[File:Mossband Viaduct and Cumberland Gap Plaque - geograph.org.uk - 1313560.jpg|thumb|right|A plaque commemorating the opening of the northern section of M6, replacing the final southern section of A74]]
When the M6 was complete around Carlisle in 1971,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1971/mar/17/m6#S5CV0813P0_19710317_CWA_140|title=M6|last=Heseltine|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Heseltine|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=17 March 1971|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> a new {{convert|4.5|miles|km|adj=on}} section of dual carriageway A74 was created to tie in with the original road running from Kingstown. The 1916 Metal Bridge also had to be replaced, in order to accommodate the increased traffic levels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://motorwayarchive.ihtservices.co.uk/en/motorways/motorway-listing/m6/m6-carlisle-bypass--penrith-to-carlisle-j41-to-j44-ext/|title=M6. Carlisle By-pass & Penrith to Carlisle (J41 to J44)]|publisher=Institute of Highway Engineers|access-date=4 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111193123/http://motorwayarchive.ihtservices.co.uk/en/motorways/motorway-listing/m6/m6-carlisle-bypass--penrith-to-carlisle-j41-to-j44-ext/|archive-date=11 November 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

An offer from the Scottish Executive to build the road to meet the M6 was not accepted by the English [[Highways Agency]].<ref name="cihtm74">{{cite web|url=http://www.ciht.org.uk/motorway/m74glascarl.htm |title=M74 / A74(M) Glasgow to Carlisle |publisher=Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation |access-date=4 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529130322/http://www.ciht.org.uk/motorway/m74glascarl.htm |archive-date=29 May 2013 }}</ref>
This left a remnant of the old A74 as a stretch of two-lane [[dual carriageway]] between two long, three-lane [[motorway]]s. Lex Gold, the director of the Scottish [[Confederation of British Industry]], said "We are very disappointed indeed by this part of the programme revision. This will mean that for now and many years, road users will face a six-mile [9.6 km] dual carriageway between an excellent Scottish motorway and before the road widens for the existing M6."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/treasury-pulls-plug-on-final-a74-upgrade-1.713109|title=Treasury pulls plug on final A74 upgrade|work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]|location=Glasgow|last=Hunston|first=Hugh|date=31 March 1994|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> On 1 July 1999, following [[History of Scottish devolution|devolution]], control of the A74 improvements passed over to the Scottish Parliament, meaning that they could only improve the route as far as the border.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1999/mar/09/m74#S6CV0327P0_19990309_CWA_158|title=M74|last=Macdonald|first=Calum|date=9 March 1999|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref>

After years of political battles between the English [[Highways Agency]] and the [[Scottish Executive]], followed by a lengthy design and public enquiry phase,<ref name="cihtm74"/> the "M6 Motorway Extension Carlisle to Guards Mill" became part of the government's targeted plan of improvements in 2002, with the intention to start work around 2005–06 at a cost of £65 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/2002/jul/01/roads-north-west#S6CV0388P2_20020701_CWA_492|title=Roads (North-West)|last=Jamieson|first=David|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=1 July 2002|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> Due to delays with the [[G8|G8 Conference]] in 2005,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/4682395.stm|title=G8 conference delays m-way works|work=[[BBC News]]|date=14 July 2005|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> construction work started on 25 July 2006, and included a replacement for the 1971 Metal Bridge, and a new [[VOSA]] testing site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/documents/M6_Extension_Info_Leaflet_Nov_06_PFV.pdf|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120810121037/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/documents/M6_Extension_Info_Leaflet_Nov_06_PFV.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 August 2012|title=Extending the motorway • Carlisle to Guards Mill|publisher=[[Highways Agency]]}}</ref> The new stretch of road was officially opened by [[Andrew Adonis|Lord Adonis]] on 5 December 2008, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first motorway in the UK, the [[Preston Bypass]], now also part of the M6.<ref name="bbc20081205">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7766327.stm|title=50 years of UK motorways marked|work=[[BBC News]]|date=5 December 2008|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> It subsequently became one of the finalists for the Prime Minister's Award for Better Public Building<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.betterpublicbuilding.org.uk/finalists/2009/m6-extension/ |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110107183648/http://www.betterpublicbuilding.org.uk/finalists/2009/m6-extension/|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 January 2011|title=M6 extension: Carlisle to Guards Mill, Cumbria|publisher=Better Publishing|date=7 January 2011|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref> (losing to [[Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.betterpublicbuilding.org.uk/finalists/|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110107183648/http://www.betterpublicbuilding.org.uk/finalists/|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 January 2011|title=PM's Award winners and finalists|publisher=Better Publishing|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref>

==Safety and accidents==
[[File:The old A74 dual-carriageway at Lesmahagow - geograph.org.uk - 289855.jpg|thumb|left|A section of former A74 near [[Lesmahagow]]. Its comparatively primitive specification compared to modern motorways drew strong criticism regarding the road's safety]]
The A74 drew regular criticism over its perceived lack of safety.<ref name="north">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-BwaqaHqyZMC&dq=A74+scotland+accident&pg=PT8|title=Dunblane: Never Forget|last=North|first=Mick|publisher=[[Random House]]|year=2011|isbn=9781780572680}}</ref> Some motorists had criticised the A74 as being a "killer road" due to its perceived high number of accidents.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Southern Upland Way: Official Guide [and] Official Route Map|last=Andrew|first=Ken|publisher=HMSO|year=1984|volume=1|page=133}}</ref> MPs, however, were keen to stress that the rate of accidents was no different from any other road of comparable traffic size. In 1976, [[Frank McElhone]], then the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, stated that "the A74 has gained a bad reputation. Whether this is justified in comparison with other roads is to some extent a matter of opinion."<ref name="mcelhone19760709">{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1976/jun/09/a74-trunk-road#S5CV0912P0_19760609_HOC_489|title=A74 Trunk Road|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|last=McElhone|first=Frank|author-link=Frank McElhone|date=9 June 1976|access-date=5 July 2013}}</ref>

By the 1970s, following completion of the M6 to north of Carlisle, the remaining all-purpose section of the A74 was becoming increasingly outdated and unsafe, and so a special speed limit of {{convert|60|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} ({{convert|40|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} for HGVs) was imposed.<ref name="mcelhone19760709"/> Hector Monro MP was particularly concerned about the speed of heavy goods vehicles along the road, and wanted to erect signs reminding lorry drivers of what the correct limit for that class of vehicle was. He claimed that they did not realise they were driving on an all-purpose route and ignored the different speed limits.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1984/mar/07/road-traffic-speed-limits#S6CV0055P0_19840307_HOC_412|title=Road Traffic (Speed Limits)|last=Munro|first=Hector|author-link=Hector Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm|date=7 March 1984|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref>

On 16 June 1975, an articulated lorry travelling southbound in heavy rain crossed the central reserve of the A74 near Beattock, hitting a coach that was travelling northbound. Ten passengers travelling in the coach were killed, including the driver, and twenty were seriously injured.<ref>{{cite book|title=Road Accidents in Great Britain|author=Great Britain Department of the Environment|publisher=HMSO|page=38|year=1993}}</ref> Since the accident involved traversing a grass-covered central reserve, concerns were raised about retrofitting [[crash barrier]]s along the entirety of the road.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1975/jun/17/coach-accident-scotland#S5CV0893P0_19750617_HOC_161|title=Coach Accident (Scotland)|last=Ross|first=William|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=17 June 1975|access-date=5 July 2013}}</ref>

On 22 December 2004, a major road accident occurred on the Cumberland Gap section of the A74 near Metal Bridge, after high winds tipped a lorry travelling southbound onto the opposite carriageway, causing it to collide with two other goods vehicles. Because one of the lorries carried chemicals, the entire road had to be shut for 24 hours, causing widespread congestion across the area. [[David Maclean]], MP for [[Penrith and The Border (UK Parliament constituency)|Penrith and The Border]], said "I'm fed up nagging about the Cumberland gap", adding "I know the government considers railways to be a higher priority, but Cumbria cannot survive without decent roads."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/4119961.stm|title='Lessons to learn' after crash|work=[[BBC News]]|date=24 December 2004|access-date=4 July 2013}}</ref>

In August 2008, when the A74 was still an all-purpose road across the Cumberland Gap, the Highways Agency took out a special order to ban cyclists and pedestrians from the route, advising them to use the [[A7 road (Great Britain)|A7]] to [[Longtown, Cumbria|Longtown]] instead. Despite warning signs for cyclists being erected, traffic officer Glenn Lamont still found that "some cyclists are ignoring this and with the roadworks and contra flow in place there is a really high risk of an accident".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7550017.stm|title=Safety plea to marathon cyclists|work=[[BBC News]]|date=8 August 2008|access-date=5 July 2013}}</ref>

===Pan Am Flight 103===
{{main|Pan Am Flight 103}}
In December 1988, the A74 around [[Lockerbie]] received international media attention, when [[Pan Am Flight 103]] was destroyed by an explosive device above the town, scattering debris around the local area. The wing section of the aircraft landed in Sherwood Crescent, which runs parallel to what was then the A74 Lockerbie Bypass, destroying houses and striking several vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1988/dec/22/air-crash-lockerbie#S6CV0144P0_19881222_HOC_33|title=Air Crash, Lockerbie|last=Channon|first=Paul|author-link=Paul Channon|date=22 December 1988|access-date=5 July 2013|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]}}</ref> According to eyewitness reports, the resulting fires caused cars to be set alight on the road, and took "a huge bite out of the southbound lane".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/december/21/newsid_3332000/3332069.stm|title=BBC : On this day : 21 December 1988|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=4 July 2013|date=21 December 1988}}</ref>

In 1994, the Prime Minister, [[John Major]], said the government would take civil action against Pan Am for the damage caused to the A74. He stressed the action was concerned with negligence by the company over its aircraft and had no connection with the ongoing investigation of terrorism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1994/apr/12/lockerbie-air-crash-1#S6CV0241P0_19940412_CWA_196|title=Lockerbie Air Crash|date=12 April 1994|last=Major|first=John|author-link=John Major|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|access-date=5 July 2013}}</ref>

== See also ==
[[A74(M) and M74 motorways]], which have largely replaced the A74

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=A74 SABRE – A74] – includes strip maps and further information about specific projects along the road.

*[https://www.scottishroadsarchive.org/a74 Scottish Roads Archive - A74 Glasgow to Carlisle road]

{{UK primary routes 7}}
{{Transport in Glasgow}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:7-0074}}
[[Category:Roads in Cumbria]]
[[Category:Roads in Scotland]]
[[Category:Transport in Dumfries and Galloway]]
[[Category:Transport in Glasgow]]
[[Category:Transport in North Lanarkshire]]
[[Category:Parkhead]]
[[Category:Bridgeton–Calton–Dalmarnock]]
[[Category:Gorbals]]
[[Category:Glasgow Green]]