A9 Kessock Bridge – Route changes in advance of Major Works

2nd February 2013

Issued by Scotland Transerv

Work starts on the major refurbishment of the A9 Kessock Bridge on Monday 11th February 2013 for 17 weeks. The installation of the traffic management will start at 10pm on Saturday 9th February to be in place for the commencement of the works. The northbound carriageway on the bridge will be closed and a contraflow will be in place on the southbound carriageway.

In advance of the start of the works there are important changes being made to road layouts in the vicinity of the bridge.

A82 Longman Road

Between the 4th and 11th February a series of improvements will become operational between Rose Street and the Longman roundabout.

The improvements include new traffic signals on the westbound approach to the Rose Street roundabout, designed to improve the flow of traffic out of the nearby car parks principally during evening peak times.

New traffic signals are also being installed at the junction of Henderson Road and the A82 Longman Road designed to allow right turning traffic from Henderson Road which will help to reduce congestion at Longman Roundabout.

New traffic signals have been installed on the three main approaches to the Longman roundabout to allow a more balanced flow on the roundabout and increase vehicle throughput. The installation of these signals means that the current dedicated lanes, A9 northbound to A82 westbound and A82 eastbound to A9 northbound will no longer be in effect and return to their original design.

Stadium Road, Inverness

From Stadium road to the A9 southbound a new dedicated slip road has been constructed. This slip road will facilitate direct access to the A9 southbound from the city, bypassing the A82 and Longman roundabout. The introduction of this slip road allows the provision of a bus lane between Stadium road and Longman roundabout. This bus lane will help to achieve reliable journey times for users of public transport leaving Inverness during the evening peak. To allow this to happen all other traffic must exit Stadium road onto the A9 southbound, utilising the new dedicated slip road. Drivers should note that only buses will be allowed to turn right at Longman roundabout.

Please note that with the introduction of this bus lane buses currently using the A82 eastbound, approaching Longman roundabout will be re-routed via Stadium Road. For further bus information please contact the bus operator Stagecoach.

Temporary Traffic Management Arrangements

11th February to June 2013.

A9 Southbound Bus Lane
From the 11th February for the 17 weeks works period, drivers heading southbound on the A9 from Tore roundabout to Kessock Bridge will directed into Lane One (slow lane) allowing Lane 2 to be a dedicated bus and HGV lane. Emergency services vehicles, works vehicles associated with the Kessock Bridge, buses and HGVs will be the only vehicles permitted to using this lane. Compliance with this arrangement will be legally enforced.

For safety reasons while the dedicated bus lane is operational for the 17 week period, right turns will be legally prohibited to and from the following junctions with the A9.

Arpafeelie
Allangrange
Craigory
Right turns to the northbound carriageway of the A9 will also be prohibited out of the Munlochy junction.

A9 Kessock Bridge Footpath/Cycleway

While the northbound carriageway will be closed for Phase One (17 weeks) of the works the footpath/cycleway, for public safety reasons, will be closed. To the north of the bridge cyclists/pedestrians will be guided under the bridge adjacent to North Kessock Lifeboat Station to gain access to and from the footway/cycleway adjacent to the southbound carriageway.

To the south of the bridge cyclists will be guided under the bridge via Stadium to gain access the footway/cycleway.

The traffic management arrangements will be continually under review with the emergency services, and the contractor in order to maximise traffic flows on the A9. Public safety is paramount during these essential works and will be closely monitored.

We would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding during the essential advance works and express a commitment to make every effort to minimise disruption during this major scheme.

Motorists should allow extra time for their journeys and pay attention to any advisory signs which will be in place throughout the works. For real time journey planning information when the works start, including queue lengths and access to live cameras, visit www.trafficscotland.org