Pledge to public over Kessock Bridge as company says sorry
THE company responsible for "unacceptable delays" for motorists using the Kessock Bridge on Monday morning has pledged to learn from its mistakes.
The unannounced closure of a single lane of a section of the A9 due a snag with "advance mitigation works" being carried out ahead of a four-month Kessock Bridge revamp sparked traffic chaos for thousands of people.
Scotland TranServ later issued a public apology for the snarl-up which left motorists gridlocked in a four-mile tailback.
Some heading from Ross-shire were stuck on the approaches to the Kessock Bridge for two hours on Monday morning with the jam exacerbated by a number of breakdowns.
Concerns were also voiced at the impact on emergency vehicles with ambulances struggling to pick their way through the ramshackle queues on the A9 approach to Inverness from Ross-shire.
Scotland TranServ, the joint venture operating company responsible for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network in the North West Scotland region issued a second apology on Monday evening.
In a statement, the Balfour Beatty Mouchel joint venture said: "Scotland TranServ again apologise to all who were affected by the unacceptable delays this morning and thank the public for their patience.
"The advance mitigation works currently under construction in Stadium Road will continue tonight (Monday), under a single lane closure, between 7pm and 7am.
"The single lane closure will be removed by 7am on Tuesday morning with two lanes available to road users.
"Going forward, Scotland TranServ will make every effort to ensure that the public are kept informed and that any disruption to travellers is kept to the absolute minimum and there is no repeat of today’s events."
The operating company is urging motorists to allow extra time for journeys and pay attention to any advisory signs which will be in place throughout the works.
Real time journey planning information is available online at www.trafficscotland.org
Resurfacing work on the Kessock Bridge is due to start on February 11 as part of a programme set to be carried out in two four-month periods.
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