• Overnight closure 21 January 19:30 – 06:00

Motorists using the A702 road south of Lamington are set to benefit from a package of road safety improvements on a section of the trunk road known as Hartside Bends.

The £95,000 project will see 330m of carriageway resurfaced, followed in the near future by signage, drainage and safety barrier improvements.

To ensure the safety of roadworkers and the travelling public during these works, the A702 will be closed at this location from 19:30 to 06:00 on the night of 21 January 2021.

A diversion route suitable for trunk road traffic will be signposted between Melbourne Crossroads and the A702 north of Abington. Southbound traffic will be diverted west from Melbourne Crossroads onto the A721, before joining the A70 at Carnwath and then the A73 at Hyndford Bridge, continuing through Roberton to re-join the A702 north of Abington. Northbound traffic will be diverted along same route in reverse. This diversion will add approximately 11 miles and 18 minutes to affected journeys.

Residents within the closure will be escorted through the site when needed and access to the residential properties will always be maintained during the works.

Consultation has been carried out with emergency services and other relevant stakeholders to make them aware of the plans and share information about the project in advance.

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

Strict physical distancing protocols, in line with Scottish Government guidance, are in place to protect teams and ensure they remain safe on site.

Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland’s South East Network Manager, said: “These road improvement works will help to reduce the occurrence of collisions on this section of the A702 and will greatly improve the 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.”

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