Nine weeks of roadworks on M90 and Queensferry Crossing to begin next week

There will be phased roadworks on the M90 and Queensferry Crossing from next week (February 19) for nine weeks.

It gets underway next Monday and runs until the end of April.

All work takes place overnight.

The project follows on from last year's successful trial of new automated barriers, which will allow traffic to be diverted over the Forth Road Bridge quicker.

Last month (January) work to set out the position of new "intelligent" road studs was completed.

They will light up and guide motorists onto the diversion route and rid the need for manual traffic cones.

Next week's work sees four nights of resurfacing on both sides of the bridge, followed by the installing of these new studs

The crossing won't be closed during this time, but drivers using the M90 north and south of the bridge can expect diversions.

In March and April, the automated barriers will be upgraded with new components to let both sides be operated by a singe button.

Road closures will be needed, starting on March 11 for two weeks and then April 8 for another two weeks.

Chris Tracey, BEAR Scotland’s South East Unit Bridges Manager, said: “This new system will dramatically reduce the time it takes to open a diversion via the Forth Road Bridge, should the Queensferry Crossing need to close for any reason.

“Last year we carried out a successful trial of the automated vehicle restraint barriers and we’re now ready to install intelligent road studs and upgrade the control system so that it can be deployed at the touch of a single button. These improvements will further reduce the time it takes to open the diversion route, should this be required.

“Once these works are complete, we’ll carry out another full trial of the system later in the year.”

More information on the project can be found online.