The A85 is a major road in Scotland. It runs east from Oban along the south bank of Loch Etive, through Lochawe and Tyndrum, Crianlarich, Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Crieff before passing through Perth, where it crosses the River Tay via Perth Bridge. Its name between the latter two locations is the Crieff Road. The A85 also crosses the River Tay in Perth by way of Smeaton's Bridge. It then multiplexes with the A90 to the Swallow Roundabout before diverging to follow the Invergowrie Bypass, Riverside Avenue and Riverside drive before terminating at the Riverside Roundabout where it meets the A92.

The A90 road from Perth to Dundee was previously numbered A85; on opening of an upgraded A94 to Aberdeen the A90 number was continued across the Friarton Bridge (previously M85) and on to the A85 route, then from Swallow Roundabout to Aberdeen. The Perth-Dundee stretch was formerly part of the Euroroute system, of route E120 which ran in a circular route between Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth.^[1]

Between Tyndrum and Crianlarich the road multiplexes with the A82, where it merges with the main north-south road.

Some statistics seem to show that the stretch of the A85 between Oban and Tyndrum is among the ten most dangerous roads in Scotland.^[2]

Scotland Transerve, who maintain the road, have now given solid commitment to improving safety on a stretch of the A85 west of Methven where 5 people, 3 from the same family, lost their lives in a crash in early 2007.

References

1. ↑ OS Metric Landranger 1970 and 2010 editions.
2. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1824466.stm