Repairs begin on A76 at Auchensell

The work, which is being carried out by Scotland Transerv on behalf of Transport Scotland, will see the embankment supporting the road being stabilised and improvements made to the drainage system and the safety barrier.  On completion, the traffic lights at Auchensell will be removed, improving the situation for the communities of Upper Nithsdale and the local economy.

Transport Scotland has also been working on a further programme to repair the damage done by a landslide further north on the A76 at Enterkinfoot to allow the removal of the traffic lights there.  The ground investigation at Enterkinfoot will take place early in 2017 with the design of the repairs and works to follow.

On the A77 at Cairnryan, ground investigation is complete and initial design work is underway.

Transport Scotland’s Project Manager Anthony Black said:

“We have been in close discussions with Scotland Transerv and the land owners to bring forward these works as soon as possible. These discussions and the information from the forthcoming ground investigation works at Enterkinfoot will inform further programme improvements going forward. We will be keeping the Upper Nithsdale communities engaged during this process.”

Andy Fraser, operating company representative, Scotland TranServ said:

“This essential maintenance will make sure that the A76 is safe and fit for purpose, allowing the temporary traffic lights to be removed at this location, benefitting over 4,000 motorists who use this route each day.

“We have carefully planned these works to ensure minimum disruption to local residents and road users - however we would advise planning ahead to avoid delays.”

BACKGROUND

The damage at Auchensell was caused by a landslip and complicated groundworks and investigations have been needed to get to the stage where repairs can get underway.

The programme has been designed to avoid a full closure of the A76, reducing disruption to the local communities.

Road users can access real time traffic information by visiting www.TrafficScotland.org or following @trafficscotland on Twitter.