Winter

Road closure between Abbotsview Junction and Thistly Cross Roundabout from 06:00 on Friday 24 January 2025 The bridge that carries the A1 trunk road over the River Tyne in East Lothian will be closed as a safety precaution from 06:00 on Friday 24 January, with winds in excess of 80mph forecast during Storm Éowyn. A … Continued

Closures and restrictions expected in high winds over 80mph BEAR Scotland is warning road users to expect closures and restrictions on major bridges in South East Scotland during Storm Éowyn on Friday. The Met Office have issued a red weather warning for wind affecting most of central and southern Scotland. This means very dangerous conditions … Continued

A83 traffic to be rerouted onto Old Military Road from 4pm on Sunday 29 December Given the forecast for heavy rain commencing on Sunday, BEAR Scotland will be opening the Old Military Road as a precaution from 4pm on Sunday 29 December to allow road users travelling along the A83 Rest and Be Thankful to continue their journey safely. … Continued

Traffic on the M90 is now being diverted over the Forth Road Bridge, after the Queensferry Crossing was closed as a safety precaution due to a risk of falling ice. Transport Scotland’s operating company BEAR Scotland took the decision to close the Queensferry Crossing at 10:20 after ice was observed falling from the bridge’s stay … Continued

Additional resources in place to address any issues 24/7 control rooms monitoring conditions The second named storm of winter is on its way with Amber weather warnings in place across Scotland. BEAR Scotland, which looks after the trunk roads in North West and South East of Scotland, is primed to tackle whatever weather conditions Storm … Continued

Fleet of 47 winter vehicles ready to keep the South East safe 25,000 tonnes of salt in stock BEAR Scotland and their fleet of named gritters are ready to keep trunk roads safe as temperatures decrease across the South East of Scotland.   Transport Scotland’s operating company have a winter fleet of 47 vehicles, including 22 … Continued

Fleet of 59 winter vehicles ready to keep the North West safe 35,000 tonnes of salt prepared to be spread across trunk roads BEAR Scotland and their newly named fleet of gritters are prepared to tackle the decreasing temperature across the North West of Scotland. Transport Scotland’s operating company have a winter fleet of 59 … Continued

BEAR Scotland has won the Best Innovation in Delivery of Small Projects category at the VINCI Construction Innovation Awards 2024, for the Queensferry Crossing Cable Stay Cleaning project. During specific winter weather conditions, the cable stays on the Queensferry Crossing can be susceptible to ice accretion, which can lead to ice and snow falling from … Continued

Q&A with Alasdair Allen, Severe Weather Manager   How has this winter been overall? Every winter brings different challenges and we’re always ready to deal with whatever comes our way, whether that’s snow and ice, storm damage, high winds or flooding. This winter were lucky that South East Scotland escaped the worst of the seasonal … Continued

BEAR Scotland’s Severe Weather Manager David Wright reflects on this winter’s challenges and describes how our teams helped keep North West roads moving. What were the most significant weather challenges faced by the North West this winter? The ever-changing weather conditions, from warm to cold, windy to calm, snow to rain. The number of named … Continued

Updated forecast for today indicates heavy persistent rainfall becoming more intense in early afternoon with corresponding increase in hillside saturation levels. As a precaution, A83 traffic will therefore be diverted onto the Old Military Road from midday today, Sunday 21 January. Given the increase in hillside saturation levels it is then expected that the Old … Continued

Storm Gerrit is causing severe disruption on the trunk road network across Scotland, particularly in the North West. BEAR Scotland, Transport Scotland’s trunk road operating company for the North West, is working with partners to keep roads open where possible, with teams out across the country clearing snow, fallen trees, and other debris. Disruption is … Continued