A96 Keith Union Bridge road closure - where will the diversions be?
The A96 through Keith is due to close this Sunday as work begins to finally repair a crumbling embankment at Union Bridge.
Road Agency Amey are scheduled to begin advance works on the long-awaited project, which will likely run until the middle of May.
The bridge has become a source of misery for drivers whose route on the main A96 artery route between Aberdeen and Inverness takes them through the Moray town.
Months of roads hell was heralded by the collapse of a river bank and retaining wall at the bridge last July. Since then, traffic lights have reduced traffic to a single flow at that point of the busy route.
In addition to causing often significant delays, the chaos visited on the area by the restrictions has hit local businesses.
However, a meeting earlier this week between Amey and local groups, businesses and other interested parties saw a start date of Sunday March 2 finally confirmed for the beginning of repair work.
In order to allow advance work and site clearing at the bridge, Amey will shut the road between Station Road and Banff Road from 8am through to 6pm.
Northbound traffic on the A96 can turn right at the road closure onto the A95/Banff Road. A signed diversion route to rejoin the A96 will be in place via the A95 to Portsoy and the A98 to Fochabers. Southbound traffic will be able to follow this route in reverse.
Escorts will be provided for residents who live within the closure while foot traffic will be able to use the Auld Bridge as a diversion route.
From Monday, March 3 to Sunday, May 18 temporary traffic lights will be in place on Union Bridge to allow the repair work to be safely carried out. There may be occasions where further short-duration closures of the road are required and further information will be issued at the appropriate time should this occur.
The works are weather dependent and may be cancelled or rescheduled if conditions are not favourable.
A free Road Work Alerts service is available from the Amey website at https://netrunkroads.scot/roadwork-alerts/
The work comes with a price tag of around £500,000.
