Keith roadworks misery may have end in sight as road operator Amey meets with Lochhead
The end could finally be in sight to long-running roadworks in a Moray town.
Temporary traffic lights have been in place at the Union Bridge in Keith on the A96 since a river bank and retaining wall fell into the River Isla in July, meaning months of misery for motorists and local businesses alike.
However, road operator Amey has announced that their procurement process has concluded and that they would be engaging with the contractor over the next two weeks to finalise the programme of works with the aims of being on site in early March and concluding the works in May. The company has also confirmed they will be organising a further meeting with representatives of the local community to bring them up to speed as they progress to work beginning on site.
The news followed a meeting between Amey, Moray MSP Richard Lochhead, local SNP councillor Theresa Coull and Seamus Logan MP’s office.
Mr Lochhead urged Amey to continue looking at ways in which the works could be expedited and the importance of keeping the local community updated on progress while Councillor Coull highlighted the significant impact the ongoing traffic measures were having on businesses in Keith and the patience shown by residents and businesses.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Lochhead said: “It was valuable to meet with Amey and hear first-hand about the complexity and scale of the works required as well as the work undertaken already to get to this stage.
“Amey acknowledged the length of time it had taken to get to this point but made clear the importance of a robust and long term solution to the landslip being put in place which ensures we don’t find ourselves with further issues at the site in the future. As part of this, they informed me that the planned works will also resolve drainage issues with surface water which have occurred in the past on the road.
“I’m grateful to Amey for providing me with a timetable for the works as well as acknowledging the concerns being conveyed by local residents and the impact on trade the temporary traffic lights are having on businesses in Keith.
“I asked Amey to ensure they continue taking on board feedback and requests from the community and I am glad to hear that they plan to hold a further engagement session with local elected representatives, the Community Council, United Keith and businesses in the area in the coming weeks.”
Councillor Coull commented: “The meeting with Amey was really informative, it is very complex, but they have now procured a contractor to do the work and it is important to ensure stability of the bridge throughout the works.
“They have a timeline which was helpful with the works starting in March, weather permitting, and all going to plan it should be completed by May. They will continue to monitor the traffic lights to alleviate any hold up on the road and I reiterated to them the importance of the completion of the work for the businesses in the area.
“Thankfully, things are moving on and we are seeing progress.”
Aberdeenshire North and Moray East MP Seamus Logan added: “I understand the frustrations of the local community with the length of time it has taken for works to get to this stage due to the process which had to be followed rigorously; I am pleased that Amey have now come back to us with a proposed timeline for the works to begin in the next few weeks.
“I am grateful to Amey for their diligence in making sure that every aspect of the work has been thoroughly investigated, making sure that once the works are completed life should return to normal for everyone affected by what was a completely unexpected incident.
“I am also very thankful to the local community for their patience while all the investigations were carried out and hope that the works are trouble-free for all concerned.”
Meanwhile, Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross said he hopes “the end is now in sight” to complete the long-running repair works.
Mr Ross had previously slammed Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop MSP for what he called a “total lack of interest” in bringing about a solution to the road works hell.
Following the latest update from Amey, the Conservative MSP said it has “taken far too long” to reach this stage but hopes this news will give some hope to Keith residents and businesses that the “misery” of the works will soon end.
He added that he will continue to push Ms Hyslop to outline plans that would deliver compensation for businesses who have suffered huge losses as a result of the disruption that has occurred since last summer.
Mr Ross continued: “I hope this latest update means the end is now in sight in relation to the repair works on the Union Bridge.
“This saga has carried on for far too long and caused massive disruption for local businesses and residents in Keith.
“I have raised this issue in the Scottish Parliament on a number of occasions, only for concerns to be dismissed by the SNP Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop who has completely failed to show any interest in this situation.
“Her responses were a slap in the face for those in Keith who have suffered the misery of these works since last summer. It has taken far too long to reach the stage of the procurement process being completed, but I hope now the contractor can start work in a matter of weeks.
“In the meantime, I will continue to push for a compensation scheme for affected businesses to be set up by Fiona Hyslop. Many have experienced huge losses and were already facing significant challenges without these works adding to them. I hope that Fiona Hyslop shows some common sense and recognises the need to compensate Keith businesses as quickly as possible.”
