The turnpike road between Edinburgh and Stirling was constructed in the 1750s and passed through Bannockburn. The route originally passed over the Old Bridge, until the construction in 1819 of a circular-arch stone bridge, built by engineer Thomas Telford, spanning the burn downstream of the battle site. Growth of both Stirling and Bannockburn during the 19th and 20th centuries means that the two now form a contiguous conurbation, and Bannockburn was latterly incorporated into the city (then royal burgh) of Stirling. Bannockburn had a population of 7,352 at the time of the 2001 census.