B9034

The B9034 was the highest-numbered Class II road on mainland Britain in the 1922 Road Lists, and originally served as a short link in Fraserburgh.

South Harbour Road

The route of the B9034 was almost completely changed in 2017, meaning that it now starts at a roundabout on the B9033 near the supermarkets to the south of the town. It then heads north along South Harbour Road, which partially follows the old railway line in towards the town centre. The route passes between the beach car park and sports pitches before entering the industrial area around the harbour. The former Dalrymple Hall and Cafe, a grand stone edifice stands opposite the former station site at the junction with Station Brae, and from here the B9034 continues north along Dalrymple Street, formerly the A98. At the next junction, the A98 used to turn inland, but the B9034 continues ahead along Shore Street as far as the next junction, with Frithside Street where it ends, despite the extensive harbour area continuing some distance to the north.

History

The B9033 was originally a very short road (officially just 241m long) in the centre of Fraserburgh. It connected the A90 to the terminus of the A98, via Victoria Street, Seaforth Street, and Station Brae (the latter of which is one-way westbound). The original justification for its Class II status is probably the fact that it led from the main A90 (originally numbered A92 here) to Fraserburgh railway station (closed to passengers in 1965 and demolished in 1983).

The OS One Inch sheet from 1959 suggests that the B9034 may for a time have also extended north along Dalrymple Street to meet the end of the A98 at the harbour, while the 1949 OS Six Inch map explicitly shows that the A98 turned east onto Harbour Road to terminate at the harbour rather than the Station. Unfortunately, earlier maps are somewhat vague on exactly which streets held which number, and by 1965 Dalrymple Street clearly constituted the last few metres of the A98. Sadly the scale of the MOT Map from 1922 makes it difficult to be certain which was the original situation.

It was all change in 2017, however, when Aberdeenshire Council carried out a review of their classified routes. This led to the curtailment of the A98 at its junction with the A90, and the complete rerouting of the B9034, albeit once more including Dalrymple Street, and passing its previous terminus at the end of Station Brae.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Link at Fraserburgh