Final Stages of £6 million road upgrade
The final two stages of the £6 million maintenance programme for the Dumfries bypass are to take place over two weekends in September.
The work, which will bring significant benefits for road users upon completion will be taken forward by Scotland TranServ, on behalf of Transport Scotland, on the following dates:
- 7.00pm on Friday 4 September to 6.00am on Monday 7 September 2015
- 7.00pm on Friday 18 September to 6.00am on Monday 21 September 2015
As previously advised, a full closure of the A75 from the A76 Glasgow Road roundabout to the A701 Edinburgh Road roundabout will be in place when work is carried out to allow operatives to work safely.
Every effort is being made to keep disruption to a minimum and following a meeting with all organisations involved, there will be some changes to the traffic management and signage that was used previously.
Scotland TranServ’s contract director, Gordon Wilson said:
“We are making significant progress in the £6 million Dumfries bypass upgrade, with more than eighty per cent of the work now completed. We would like to thank motorists for the patience that they have shown across the project so far.
“When these two phases are finished, they can look forward to improved journey reliability, a smoother road surface and the extended lifespan of the bypass.
“We have considered all options to minimise disruption for this work. It has to be carried-out when traffic flows at their lightest, which is during the weekend and the only diversion is through Dumfries, so we are doing all we can to give road users as much notice as possible.”
Motorists can keep up to date with real time traffic information by visiting trafficscotland.org or following @trafficscotland on Twitter.
Diversion:
A local diversion will be in place which will take motorists from Glasgow Road roundabout to the roundabout at the A780 Annan Road.
The eastbound diversion route will divert motorists from the A75 via Glasgow Street, Loreburn Street, English Street, St Mary’s Street and the A780 Annan Road which connects back into the A75.
The westbound diversion route will start at the A75/A780 roundabout and route traffic along the A780 Annan Road, Shakespeare Street, Whitesands and Glasgow Street which connects back into the A75.
Motorists can keep up to date with real time traffic information by visiting the Traffic Scotland website and following their Twitter feed.
A77 landslip works continue
The on-going programme of repairs and landslide mitigation works on the A77 is to resume on Monday 24 August 2015.
The work to improve the resilience of the route is being carried out by Scotland Transerv on behalf of Transport Scotland and will see further repairs and drainage improvements to the hillside at Carlock Hill. Geotechnical surveys will also be carried out just north of Cairnryan to help plan the next stage of the programme.
The work follows the publication of the South West Landslide Action Plan by Transport Scotland. It sets out the long-term measures that will be taken in future to try to mitigate the effect of landslides in the area. Further details are at:
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road/maintenance/south-west-unit-landslide-action-plan
To carry out this set of repairs safely, the A77 will be closed between Cairnryan (Stena ferry terminal) and Girvan (Shallochpark roundabout from 8.00pm to 6.00am for five nights. A local diversion will be in place.
Traffic lights will also be in place during daytime hours from 6.00am to 8.00pm each day from Monday 24 August to Friday 4 September to allow the drainage works to go ahead.
Gordon Wilson, contract director, Scotland TranServ said:
“The safety of the local community, motorists and our workforce is of the utmost priority and it is vital that we carry out these works to ensure the route is safe.
“We area carrying out as much work as possible during the closure times to try to minimise the disruption to road users.
“We fully understand the importance of the A77 to over 3,000 motorists who travel through the area each day and are doing everything we can to improve the long term resilience of this route.”
Diversion route:
Northbound – A77 South to A751, then A75 East to Newton Stewart, then A714 North to Girvan.
Southbound – A714 South to A75 Newton Stewart, then west to A751, then North to A77 Cairnryan.
Multi million pound investment in M8 gantries
The second phase of a £6m rolling programme to refurbish the overhead gantries on the M8 motorway will begin on Friday 21 August 2015.
The investment from Transport Scotland will see four gantries on the M8, between Junctions 10 and 15, being upgraded to bring them up to date with modern day standards.
Scotland TranServ, which maintains almost 200 sign gantries on south west Scotland’s motorways and trunk roads will carry out the work to the structures, which provide a lane management facility and keep motorists up to date with real time traffic information.
The refurbished structures will provide a number of long term benefits energy savings and the increasing demands of routine maintenance.
Scotland TranServ’s contract director, Gordon Wilson said:
“The first phase of this project was a success and we hope to emulate this during the second round of refurbishments.
“Some of the existing gantries have been in place for over 30 years and this programme will result in significant long term benefits to thousands of motorists using the M8 each day.
“Not only has the signage been improved but also the innovative use of LED lighting will achieve 70% in energy savings per gantry each year ensuring we play a pivotal role in helping Transport Scotland meet its carbon reduction targets for 2020.”
Due to the nature of the works and to protect the health and safety of motorists and road workers alike a series of traffic management measures will be in place.
Motorists can keep up to date with real time traffic information by following @trafficscotland on Twitter or visiting www.trafficscotland.org.
A725 Resurfacing Works
Over £230K of resurfacing works is being carried out on the southbound A725 between Whirlies Roundabout and Whitemoss Roundabout which will improve the road surface for those using the route.
The works will see Scotland Transerv, on behalf of Transport Scotland, resurface the route over one weekend and every effort is being made to help keep disruption to a minimum during that time. A total closure of the southbound carriageway will be in operation from 8.00pm on Friday 21 August to 6.00am on Monday 24 August.
Gordon Wilson, contract director, Scotland TranServ said:
“These essential repairs will help improve the surface of the A725 and all road users will feel the benefits in the very near future.
“We are doing everything we can to minimise disruption by carrying out the works over one weekend.
“Motorists should plan ahead and leave plenty of time for their journeys. They can keep up to date with real time traffic information by visiting www.trafficscotland.org or following @Traffic Scotland on Twitter. Advanced warning signs will also be in place on the approach to let people know that the works are taking place.”
Diversion:
Leave Whirlies Roundabout, follow B783 East Mains Rd – West Mains Rd Westbound – A726 Eastbound – Birniehill Roundabout – A725 Northbound to Whitemoss Roundabout.
Final Stage of £6 million road upgrade
12 August 2015
A further £1 million is being invested in the Dumfries by-pass in the final stage of a £6 million maintenance programme.
Scotland TranServ on behalf of Transport Scotland will carry out this final stage in three phases, upgrading the road surface to ensure the longevity of this route for years to come and supporting vital links to the ferry ports at Cairnryan. The work will take place under a closure of the A75 from the A76 Glasgow Road roundabout to the A701 Edinburgh Road roundabout on the following dates:
- 7.00pm on 21 August to 6.00am 24 August 2015
- 7.00pm on 4 September to 6.00am on 7 September 2015
- 7.00pm on 18 September to 6.00am on 21 September 2015
During this time traffic will be diverted through Dumfries and road users are being urged to plan their journeys, especially if they have on-going connections.
Scotland TranServ’s contract Director, Gordon Wilson said:
“We are committed to the long term maintenance of Dumfries and Galloway’s trunk roads network and in partnership with our subcontractor, DGFirst, we will deliver a maintenance programme to keep the route in the best condition possible for the long-term.
“We have done everything we possibly can to plan the works over weekends when traffic flows are lighter; ensuring minimum disruption to local residents and motorists but we would advise people to plan their journeys and check the latest travel information @trafficscotland before they set-out.”
Diversion:
A local diversion will be in place during each scheme which will take motorists from Glasgow Road roundabout to the roundabout at the A780 Annan Road.
The eastbound diversion route will divert motorists from the A75 via Glasgow Street, Buccleuch Street, Academy Street, Loreburn Street, English Street, St Mary’s Street and the A780 Annan Road which connects back into the A75.
The westbound diversion route will start at the A75/A780 roundabout and route traffic along the A780 Annan Road, Shakespeare Street, Whitesands and Glasgow Street which connects back into the A75.
Motorists can keep up to date with real time traffic information by visiting the Traffic Scotland website and following their Twitter feed.
10 Years of TRISS
Transport Minister says thank you to incident response teams
Transport Minister Derek MacKay today (5 August 2015) paid tribute to the Trunk Roads Incident Support Service as they celebrate their 10 year anniversary operating on Scotland’s busiest trunk roads and motorways.
In the last year alone, Scotland TranServ’s TRISS vehicles have attended over 9,000 incidents; traveling over 250,000 miles (enough to travel round the earth 10 times). Operatives have come to the rescue of thousands of stranded motorists, removed countless hazards from the roads and helped improve traffic flows by delivering up to date reliable traffic information for drivers.
One of the many people helped by TRISS is Lynn Murdoch from Glasgow. She was traveling on the M8 near Glasgow Airport last year when her car broke down at a section where there was no hard shoulder. Fortunately Scotland TranServ’s TRISS vehicle was stationed nearby and the operatives managed to tow her to safety.
She said:
“The problem with my car left me sitting in the inside lane of the M8 with my hazards on and I was so scared I was going to be hit by very fast moving traffic.
“The speedy response of the incident support team made sure I was taken out of the way as quickly as possible.
“I would go as far as to say that they saved my life and potentially that of the other motorists who could have been caught up in the incident.”
Transport Minister Derek MacKay has marked anniversary by meeting with Lynn and some of the teams patrolling key routes around Scotland to thank them for their efforts.
He said:
“TRISS is something that we are very proud of and it has been great to hear about the real assistance that it has given to people over the years.
“The crews deal with thousands of incidents every year and these range from helping Police deal with serious accidents to helping people who have broken down on the roads.
“Since its inception ten years ago, the service has evolved and we now use the latest technology and they have roof mounted CCTV cameras which allow live images to be shared with Police and Traffic Scotland.
“One of Transport Scotland’s main objectives is to improve journey time reliability and TRISS plays a key role in this by helping cut down on delays. This helps our roads run better and supports our economy.”
The distinctive vehicles were introduced in 2005 and Scotland TranServ maintains its strong commitment to improving journey times on south west Scotland’s motorways and trunk roads.
Scotland TranServ’s TRISS Supervisor, Tommy Docherty said:
“I first began working on the initial concept of TRISS 10 years ago and recruited the first eight operatives who joined the service which would patrol south west Scotland’s motorways and trunk roads.
“A real highlight for me has been seeing the esteem in which the service is held by our partners such as Police Scotland.
“I have taken great pride in seeing the service evolve into a professional and efficient incident response resource which has such a positive impact on not only journey time reliability but also touching the lives of those travelling on our roads each day.”
Gordon Wilson, contract director for Scotland TranServ added:
“We are immensely proud of the service that our TRISS service provides and are continually looking to enhance and develop our partnership working to improve on journey times across south west Scotland’s motorways and trunk roads.
“This is a huge milestone for the service and we are delighted to mark the occasion with the support of the Transport Minister and our partners such as Police Scotland.”
