The
A96 is a major
roadA road is an identifiable route, way or path between places.
in the
NorthNorth is one of the four cardinal directions, specifically the direction that, in Western culture, is treated as the fundamental direction:* North is used to define all other directions....
of
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
It runs generally west/north-west from
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
, bypassing Kintore,
InverurieInverurie is a Royal Burgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north west of Aberdeen on the A96 road and is served by Inverurie railway station on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line. The nearest airport is Aberdeen International Airport at Dyce....
, Huntly and
ForresForres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
, and running through Keith,
FochabersFochabers is a village in the Parish of Bellie, in Moray, Scotland, not far from the cathedral city of Elgin and located on the east bank of the River Spey. Around 2,000 people live in the village, which enjoys a rich musical and cultural history...
,
ElginElgin is a former cathedral city and a former Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland and is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The city originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190...
and
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
. The road terminates at the A9 outside of
InvernessInverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
.
The road begins with a junction with the A956 near King Street in Aberdeen City Centre, as a
dual carriagewayA dual carriageway or divided highway is a road or highway in which the two directions of traffic are separated by a central barrier or strip of land, known as a central reservation or median...
and goes on to form part of the huge 'Mounthooly Roundabout'.
The
A96 is a major
roadA road is an identifiable route, way or path between places.
in the
NorthNorth is one of the four cardinal directions, specifically the direction that, in Western culture, is treated as the fundamental direction:* North is used to define all other directions....
of
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
It runs generally west/north-west from
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It has an official population estimate of .Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands...
, bypassing Kintore,
InverurieInverurie is a Royal Burgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north west of Aberdeen on the A96 road and is served by Inverurie railway station on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line. The nearest airport is Aberdeen International Airport at Dyce....
, Huntly and
ForresForres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
, and running through Keith,
FochabersFochabers is a village in the Parish of Bellie, in Moray, Scotland, not far from the cathedral city of Elgin and located on the east bank of the River Spey. Around 2,000 people live in the village, which enjoys a rich musical and cultural history...
,
ElginElgin is a former cathedral city and a former Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland and is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The city originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190...
and
NairnNairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...
. The road terminates at the A9 outside of
InvernessInverness is a city in northern Scotland. The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is promoted as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
.
The road begins with a junction with the A956 near King Street in Aberdeen City Centre, as a
dual carriagewayA dual carriageway or divided highway is a road or highway in which the two directions of traffic are separated by a central barrier or strip of land, known as a central reservation or median...
and goes on to form part of the huge 'Mounthooly Roundabout'. It then exits Aberdeen to the North West, meeting the A90 at the
Haudagain RoundaboutThe Haudagain Roundabout is a roundabout in Aberdeen that bisects the A90 and A96.As all traffic going northbound to Inverness via the A96 or southbound to Edinburgh must pass through this roundabout it is a notoriously busy and hazardous junction with large queues approaching all directions to the...
, a notoriously busy junction. It then passes Bucksburn, and has a junction with
Aberdeen AirportAberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce in the City of Aberdeen, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 3.29 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2008, a reduction of 3.6% compared with 2007, making it the 14th busiest airport in the UK...
. The road is then dual carriageway until
InverurieInverurie is a Royal Burgh in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north west of Aberdeen on the A96 road and is served by Inverurie railway station on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line. The nearest airport is Aberdeen International Airport at Dyce....
, where it becomes single carriageway until just before it meets the A9 in Inverness.
The A96 has a poor safety record in the substantial single carriageway section, and the road has topped polls to find the most unpopular roads in Scotland on more than one occasion . Debate about a new section of road to bypass Fochabers has been ongoing for a number of years. When the new bridge was built over the
River SpeyThe River Spey is a river in the northeast of Scotland, the second longest and the fastest flowing river in Scotland...
(in about 1970), it was built to be in line with a possible northern route. The bypass will pass to the north of Fochabers and south of Mosstodloch, and is planned to open late in 2011.
The A96 was formerly part of the Euroroute system, of route E120 which ran in a circular route between Inverness, Aberdeen,
DundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and, fully named as Dundee City, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. It lies on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea....
and
PerthPerth is a former royal burgh in central Scotland. Sitting on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative headquarters of Perth and Kinross council area. According to the 2001 census, its population is 43,450...
.