Work starts Monday 11 October for up to four months

A new £195,000 active travel project on the A96 between Lhanbryde and Fochabers is set to get underway next week.

The project will involve teams constructing a 2m wide shared use footway and cycleway over a 750m stretch from Lhanbryde eastwards adjacent to the A96. In addition, works will also be undertaken to provide a second crossing point and upgrade the existing crossing over the A96. New signage and road markings will also be installed to help improve road safety.

Once complete the project will provide enhanced pedestrian and cyclist facilities in the area and encourage more active travel.

The project is expected to begin on Monday 11 October and is scheduled to take up to four months to complete with works programmed to take place in phases of overnight and daytime working. The majority of the work is planned to take place between Monday and Friday however some weekend working will be required.

To ensure the safety of roadworkers and motorists, a single lane closure with traffic lights will be in place when required during working hours. A 30mph speed restriction will also be in place for safety. All traffic management will be removed when work is not being carried out to minimise disruption to road users.

Commenting on the improvements, Ian Stewart, BEAR Scotland’s North East Representative, said: “We’re pleased to see this active travel project get underway on the A96 east of Lhanbryde. This investment from Transport Scotland will provide the local community with a safer active travel link from the village toward Threaplands Café and Garden Centre, which we hope will encourage more journeys on foot and by cycle.

“The traffic management is essential to keep the workforce and road users safe during this project. We’ve planned works to take place overnight as well as outwith peak hours and have arranged for the traffic management to be removed when work is not being carried out to ensure minimum disruption to road users.

“We would like to thank motorists in advance for their patience during this project and advise them to plan ahead by checking Traffic Scotland for up to date journey information and leave some extra time to reach their destination.”

Real-time journey planning information can be obtained by visiting www.trafficscotland.org, twitter at @trafficscotland or the new mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.