Works start Monday 12 April for five nights

Surfacing work for a section of the A96 in Keith is set to resume next week for five nights.

Work originally began last month however was postponed to resume in April following the annual Easter week surfacing industry holiday.

The work next week will complete the improvements planned for this section of the A96 in Keith between Tesco supermarket and the bridge over the River Isla, creating a safer and smoother road surface for motorists.

The project is scheduled to resume from Monday 12 April for five nights, between 7.30pm and 6.30am each night. Surfacing improvements are expected to be completed by 6.30am on Saturday 17 April, subject to weather conditions.

To ensure the safety of roadworkers and motorists, a 10mph convoy system will be in place during working hours. The convoy system will be removed during the daytime however due to the nature of the works temporary traffic lights will remain in place. Throughout the project various junctions within the scheme extents will have to be closed to allow teams to safely surface past these junctions. Signed diversion routes will be in place as required for motorists.

Consultation has taken place with all relevant stakeholders in advance of the resurfacing improvements to make them aware of the traffic management arrangements and to minimise any inconvenience.

Strict physical distancing protocols, in line with Scottish Government Covid-19 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.

Commenting on the improvements, Ian Stewart, BEAR Scotland’s North East Representative, said: “Once completed, this surfacing projects for the A96 in Keith will help ensure the route remains safe for road users, creating a smoother journey for motorists.

“We’ve taken steps to minimise disruption for motorists as much as possible during the project, including carrying out the works overnight and removing all traffic management during the daytime to further limit any impact to motorists.

“We thank motorists for their patience in advance while our teams carry out these essential improvements on the A96. 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, twitter at @trafficscotland or via the new mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.

Materials removed from the existing carriageway will be recycled adopting Scottish Environment Project Agency (SEPA) approved construction methods and disposal of waste materials to the approved standards.