Roadworks are again set to get underway to construct a £5M on the junction of the A702 with Mauricewood Road, almost three months since the collapse of local civil engineering firm Crummock left the major infrastructure in limbo.
The housing developer Taylor Wimpey announced today that RJ McLeod has been appointed as the new principal contractor for the project, allowing them to restart the construction works from where Crummock left off following their collapse in May. The new contractor will recommence works on Monday 27 August.
RJ McLeod, which is based in Glasgow has undertaken many projects on behalf of the Scottish Government’s road agency, Transport Scotland, most notably delivering a £17.13M project to construct a bypass Drunragit. Taylor Wimpey says that the firm has “the capability
to complete the programme as quickly and as safely as possible in a manner that minimises any
disruption” and that they are confident the roundabout will be completed by the end of November 2018.
Since Crummock’s collapse, the new junction has been left in a state of partial completion with only one side of the roundabout complete. Motorists have been unable to access the A702 from Mauricewood Road for eight months and those on the A702 have been slowed to 20mph round a chicane, unable to prevent heavy goods vehicles from straying onto the opposite side of the road.
Fears have been raised that the junction, as constructed so far, is poorly aligned and perhaps dangerous for motorists. As the lead developer for the project, Taylor Wimpey has studied the design for two months to ensure it meets the statutory requirements. This assessment has now been completed and passed onto RJ McLeod.
A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey East of Scotland said:
We would like to thank the local community for their patience
while we resolved this unforeseen issue. We will continue to work hard to make sure these works are progressed as smoothly as possible, and that any further inconvenience is kept to a minimum.
Taylor Wimpey were recently given approval to vary their section 75 legal agreement to permit them to construct an additional 25 homes before the new roundabout was operational. Preliminary work by CALA and Avant Homes has begun north of Wimpey’s Greenlaw Mill development to construct additional new houses, though full construction is being delayed by the roundabout’s extended construction period.
What do you think? Let us know below or join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook.