Chaos as gas repair and tram works make it 'Gridlock City'

Published on Saturday 17 January 2009 10:03

FRESH roadworks chaos has hit Edinburgh with motorists being warned to prepare for weeks of gridlock as work is carried out on a key city route at the same time as Edinburgh's tram work restarts.

Angry drivers have reported delays of more than an hour on Queensferry Road as emergency gas works are carried out and there is set to be even more congestion, with the resumption of tram works in Leith on Monday.

With around 350 different sets of roadworks currently underway in the city, council chiefs yesterday took the last-minute decision to cancel a planned closure of part of the West Approach Road.

The ongoing problems led former city leader Ewan Aitken to today accuse the ruling administration of turning Edinburgh into "Gridlock City".

Scotia Gas Networks, the company carrying out the repairs in Queensferry Road between Clermiston Drive and Parkgrove Road, said two of the road's four lanes would be closed for up to eight weeks to allow for repairs.

Sharon Miller-McKenzie, a spokeswoman for the company, said dozens of extra engineers had been drafted in to help complete the 214,000 project as quickly as possible.

She said: "We are very aware that people in Edinburgh have been disrupted enough, but this is emergency gas mains repair work. It's causing people to be delayed, but it's absolutely essential work."

One motorist who left the city centre at 4pm had still not reached Blackhall by 5.30pm last night.

He said: "It's a complete nightmare, traffic is at a standstill."

From Monday, one lane of the West Approach Road, one of the busiest arterial routes in and out of the city, was to be closed for a fortnight to allow for sewer replacement works.

However, the scheme was postponed at the last minute due to the mounting problems being caused by the works in Queensferry Road.

Work is also set to resume in Leith on the city's 512 million tram line following the end of the Christmas embargo.

There are also expected to be delays on the Forth Road Bridge over the weekend while its expansion joints are inspected.

There will also be a series of complete closures of the bridge late at night in the coming weeks to allow for the removal of a canopy.

Labour councillor Ewan Aitken said: "It's Gridlock City because the ruling administration has created a situation where there is no slack in the system."

Councillor Robert Aldridge, the council's environment leader, said: "The gas mains replacement work on Queensferry Road has been deemed essential and, if not carried out urgently, could compromise public safety."

Should the number of city roadworks be limited?

Darran Quigley, 31, driver technician, Forrester Park Avenue: "Yes, because it's getting to the point where they are cutting off all the routes."

Callum Winter, 21, marketing student, Cannonmills: "I don't really see how it's possible to limit the number of roadworks but obviously the disruption is not good. It would be impossible to say where there shouldn't be roadworks."

Katherine Hegarty, 31, interior designer, Forrester Park Avenue: "There should because it's ridiculous. The roadworks on Queensferry Road seem to just block every way anyone is going."

• www.roadworksscotland.org, www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet