A68 to open on Monday

Friday September 4th 2020

A68-Open-Monday

BEAR Scotland Engineers completing the work on the A68


Written by Midlothian View Editor, Phil Bowen

The A68 trunk road near Fala will reopen to traffic on Monday 7th September, with new road surfacing, safety barrier and white lining on track to be completed over the weekend.

It is intended that the road will reopen initially under traffic lights, with a view to these being removed later in the week. This is to allow finishing works on the verge, footpath construction and further drainage clearance to be completed safely.

A section of the A68 trunk road was destroyed in a storm in the early hours of 12 August, causing a 20-metre-high embankment to collapse and leave a large gap in the carriageway.

BEAR Scotland took over from Amey as Transport Scotland’s operating company for the South East of Scotland on 16 August. Work to stabilise the site had already begun and, with many staff transferring to BEAR Scotland, progress continued without delay.

A three-phase programme of repairs was immediately implemented. First, the site was cleared and 5,000 tonnes of rock procured to rebuild the embankment. Utility services running under the road had to be diverted before the embankment could be rebuilt back up to road level in phase two. The final phase to construct the safety barrier, kerbing, footpath, drainage and the road itself began earlier this week.

Andy Thompson, BEAR Scotland’s representative for the South East, said:

“From the moment BEAR Scotland took over, our priority has been to get the A68 rebuilt and reopened as quickly and safely as possible.

“It’s been a real team effort to reach this stage, from the engineers designing, planning and supervising the repairs, to the workforce on site operating the machinery and carrying out construction work.

“We’ve been very aware of the impact of the closure on road users and local communities, and a great deal of work has gone into liaising with local authorities and other stakeholders to mitigate the disruption and keep the public informed.

“We’re grateful for the patience and understanding everyone has shown and are pleased that traffic will soon be able to use this important route once again.”

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