Since April 2021, BEAR Scotland has delivered over £13m of resurfacing, safety improvements and maintenance schemes on behalf of Transport Scotland across many different routes and structures on the South East trunk road network.

Thirty-eight resurfacing projects have been undertaken, including major projects on the A1 and A68. These surfacing improvements have addressed and repaired defects in the road surface such as potholes or cracks, creating safer and smoother journeys for motorists.

A safety improvements scheme replaced life expired barriers stretching along large sections of the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass. Further layby upgrades are also under way on the A720. The laybys will be upgraded to modern emergency standards to provide road users with a fully compliant emergency stopping area, which will also comply with the requirements of the Equality Act.

BEAR has also delivered over £2m worth of bridge maintenance, protection, concrete investigation and material testing. This has been completed on a variety of footbridges, overbridges and structures along the A90, M90, M8, and A720. On the Forth Road Bridge, Phase 2 of the replacement of the main expansion joints got under way on the northbound carriageway, as did the latest phase of improvements to the suspended span underdeck access.

Road safety continues to be a high priority and improvements have included sign works on the A7, vehicle restraint systems on the A702, and road markings on the A68. Bike guards and reflectors have also been installed along the A7 as part of the route action plan.

The vast majority of these schemes were and continue to be scheduled overnight in order to minimise any disruption and BEAR Scotland’s teams will do all they can to complete these projects as quickly and safely as possible.