• A68 River Leader to Blainslie Jct – 6-7 October 2021

• A68 Oxton Pottery – 11-13 October 2021

The A68 is set to benefit from an improved road surface in two locations with works set to start on Wednesday 6 October 2021.

BEAR Scotland, Transport Scotland’s operating company, will resurface 1.2km of carriageway in total, creating smoother and safer journeys for motorists.

To ensure the safety of roadworkers as well as the travelling public, the A68 will be closed between Carfraemill and Earlston between 19:30 until 06:00 on the nights of Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 October in the first phase of works.

A diversion route will be signposted between Carfraemill and Earlston via the A697, A6089 and A6105. This diversion will add approximately 7.9 miles and five minutes to affected journeys.

The Oxton Pottery works will start on the 11 October. The A68 will be closed between the B64458/A68 junction and Ravenswood roundabout. A diversion route will be signposted between B6458/A68 junction and Ravenswood roundabout via the B6458, A7 and A6091. This diversion will add approximately 19.6 miles and 32 minutes to affected journeys.

Emergency services will be given access through the works at all times and local access for residents within the closure points will be maintained when it is safe to pass through the work area.

Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland’s South East Network Manager, said: “These surfacing improvements will help to address defects on the A68 which will greatly improve the driving experience for motorists.

“It is essential that we close the road during these works to ensure the safety of road workers and motorists, however, we’ve arranged for the project to take place overnight to minimise the impact.

“We thank motorists and the local community in advance for their patience and understanding. We’ll do all we can to complete the work as quickly and safely as possible.”

Emergency services and other relevant stakeholders have been consulted in advance and strict physical distancing protocols are in place to protect teams and ensure they remain safe on site, in line with Scottish Government guidance.

Real time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland on www.trafficscotland.org, twitter at @trafficscotland or the mobile site my.trafficscotland.org