INNOVATIVE £925,000 SUSTAINABLE RESURFACING PROJECT TO TAKE PLACE ON A92 IN FIFE

• Project involves recycling worn-out road materials for reuse in new road surface

• Works start Friday 16 October for two weeks

• Weekend road closures in place for safety

An innovative sustainable resurfacing project worth over £925,000 is set to take place on the A92 near Ladybank in Fife starting later this week.

The project will use a sustainable method of road reconstruction to re-use the worn-out road materials across a 750m stretch of the A92, processing them in such a way at a nearby on-site location that they can be reinstalled in the road to create a smoother new road surface for motorists.

The worn-out road section being replaced includes tar-based materials, which need to be treated differently to traditional road materials due to the hazardous environmental impact tar can have.  Tar-based materials are difficult to process with most being removed and taken to a specialist landfill site in England, however by using this sustainable recycling method to treat and reuse the existing road materials on-site using specialist machinery avoids the necessity of them being diverted to landfill, saving thousands of lorry miles and carbon emissions.

A similar project was used on the A92 near Ladybank in November 2019, which involved teams reconstructing a section of the route using the same sustainable method.

The project will begin at 7.30pm on Friday 16 October and will take place over two weeks with the works scheduled to be completed by 6.30am on Friday 30 October.  The project has been split into phases to ensure any disruption is kept to a minimum during the work, with the project due to take place as follows;

• Friday 16 October to Monday 19 October – To ensure the safety of roadworkers as well as motorists, a road closure between the A92 Ladybank Junctions will be in place from 7.30pm on Friday 16 October to 6.30am on Monday 19 October. A signed diversion route will be in place throughout the weekend. Local access will be maintained.

• Monday 19 October to Thursday 22 October (four nights) – A 10mph convoy system will be in place between 7.30pm and 6.30am each night for safety. Traffic management will be removed outwith working hours, however a 30mph speed limit will be in place as traffic will be travelling over a temporary surface.

• Friday 23 October to Monday 26 October – To ensure the safety of roadworkers as well as motorists, a road closure between the A92 Ladybank Junctions will be in place from 7.30pm on Friday 23 October to 6.30am on Monday 26 October. A signed diversion route will be in place throughout the weekend. Local access will be maintained.

• Monday 26 October to Thursday 29 October (four nights) – A 10mph convoy system will be in place between 7.30pm and 6.30am each night for safety. Traffic management will be removed outwith working hours, however a 30mph speed limit will be in place as traffic will be travelling over a temporary surface.

Strict physical distancing protocols, in line with Scottish Government guidance, will be in place to ensure all site personnel remain safe once the project gets underway.  New safe operation procedures and risk assessments have also been developed to ensure teams are kept safe throughout the project.

Consultation has taken place with local residents and stakeholders in advance of the resurfacing works to make them aware of the traffic management arrangements and to minimise any inconvenience.

Ian Stewart, BEAR Scotland’s North East Representative, said: “This project uses an innovative, sustainable way of carrying out resurfacing work on the A92, which will not only upgrade the road surface once it is complete but will also help to re-use around 2,700 tonnes of worn-out, tar-based road material, preventing it from going to a specialist landfill site based in England.

“This also means around 78,500 lorry-miles are saved, which will help contribute to a reduction of carbon emissions.

“We’ve taken steps to minimise disruption for motorists as much as possible during the improvements, including carrying out the weekend works under 24-hour working to ensure the project timescale is kept to a minimum.  The closures are essential for keeping our roadworkers safe as well as motorists. We’ve also planned the work throughout the week to take place overnight, further reducing the impact to road users.

“We thank motorists for their patience in advance while our teams carry out these essential improvements on the A92. We encourage road users to plan their journeys in advance by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up to date traffic information and allow some extra time to reach their destination.”

Real-time journey planning information can be obtained by visiting www.trafficscotland.org or twitter @trafficscotland.