IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE A7 IN HAWICK

December 18, 2024

  • Carriageway resurfacing, footway improvements and pedestrian crossing upgrades

  • Works commence 6 January 2025 for seven weeks

Hawick is set to benefit from a package of improvements on the A7 trunk road through the town, including resurfacing of Commercial Road, footway improvements on Albert Road, and the upgrading of two pedestrian crossings.

Transport Scotland’s operating company BEAR Scotland will carry out the works in January and February 2025.

These improvements come on the back of recent flood defence works and represent a total investment by Transport Scotland of approximately £440,000.

Pedestrian crossing and footway works will be carried out under temporary traffic lights, which will be removed during peak hours whenever possible. Temporary closures of the Victoria and James Thomson footbridges will also be required, and there will be temporary restrictions on access to Bath Street from Commercial Road.

Resurfacing of Commercial Road will be carried out over seven nights, commencing on Monday 3 February 2025. On these nights it will be necessary to close the road between 21:00 and 06:00, with parking restrictions in place.

The following diversion routes will be signposted:

  • On the nights of 3 and 4 February, northbound traffic on the A7 will be diverted between Canonbie and Hawick via the B7201, B6357, A6088 and A698. This will add approximately 7.7 miles and 20 minutes to affected journeys. Southbound traffic will be diverted past the works via Mart Street and the High Street (B6399). which will only add 0.2 miles and 1 minute to affected journeys.
  • On the nights of 5 to 9 February, once the works are past the Albert Road junction, northbound traffic will be diverted via Albert Rd and Commercial Rd, while southbound traffic will continue to follow the Mart Street diversion. Both add 0.2 miles and 1 minute to affected journeys.

The table below lists dates, durations and traffic management for each phase of these works:

Date Duration Works Traffic management
6 Jan 2025 2 weeks

(excluding weekends)

 Upgrading existing pedestrian crossing on Commercial Road from a Puffin to a Toucan format, which includes a wider crossing area to reduce conflict between pedestrians and cyclists and new signal equipment for activation by cyclists. · Temporary traffic lights (off-peak when possible).

· Temporary closure of Bath Street at the Commercial Road end. This allows the use of two-way lights on Commercial Road, rather than three-way lights, reducing the delay time for traffic.

· Temporary closure of Victoria Footbridge to allow for footway works on that side of the crossing.
20 Jan 2025 2 weeks

(excluding weekends)

 Upgrading existing signalised pedestrian crossing on Albert Road from a Puffin to a Toucan format. · Temporary traffic lights (off-peak when possible).

· Temporary closure of James Thomson Footbridge to allow for footway works on the Burns Club side of the crossing.
3 weeks

(excluding weekends)

 Footway improvements on Albert Road, including a specification to cope with heavy goods vehicles (i.e. deliveries for the Burns Club), and a specialised entry kerb providing a broadly consistent footway level for pedestrians while also allowing vehicle access. · Temporary traffic lights (off-peak when possible).

· Temporary closure of James Thomson Footbridge.
3 Feb 2025 7 nights

(excluding weekends)

 Resurfacing improvements across Commercial Road from Albert Road to Dovemount Roundabout, excluding the section resurfaced during the flood protection works.

Iron reinstatement improvements (rebuilding chamber bases and use of a special shock-absorbing material to increase their life), will also take place during this period.

 · Commercial Road closed with no parking from 21:00 to 06:00 each night.

· Nights 1 and 2: Northbound diversion between Canonbie and Hawick via B7201, B6357, A6088 and A698. Southbound diversion via Mart Street and the High Street (B6399).

· Nights 3 to 7: Northbound diversion via Albert Road and Commercial Road. Southbound diversion via Mart Street and the High Street (B6399).
11 Feb 2025 2 weeks

(excluding weekends)

 All remaining ironwork improvements on Commercial Road. · Night-time temporary traffic lights (19.30 to 06:00)

· Parking restrictions during working hours will also be in place for this period.

 

Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland’s South East Network manager, said: “This package of works will provide an improved experience and enhanced safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians using the A7 in Hawick.

“We’re doing all we can to coordinate the works so that disruption to road users, local residents and businesses is kept to a minimum. It is however essential for safety that we close certain routes while work takes place. We will restrict closures and restrictions to overnight or off-peak hours wherever possible.

“We’re grateful to the public for their patience and understanding while our teams make these improvements. We’ll issue further updates as the works progress.”

Consultations have been carried out with emergency services and local stakeholders to share information about the project in advance.

All work is weather dependent and subject to postponement in the event of adverse conditions.

Live traffic information for Scottish trunk roads is available from Traffic Scotland at www.traffic.gov.scot, or on X at @trafficscotland.

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