Disruption ahead as road resurfaced
NICOLA FINDLAY
Drivers in East Kilbride face disruption with sections of Stewartfield Way closed for “vital” resurfacing works.
The roadworks are part of South Lanarkshire Council’s ongoing £4.2million Roads Investment Programme for 2019/20.
It will be completed in two phases at a cost of £470,000 and will see a section of Stewartfield Way between Castleglen Road and the A726 Queensway completely closed to allow the work to be carried out.
This is despite the results of the public consultation into the controversial £62m City Deal proposals to dual Stewartfield not being published until spring.
The findings are expected to be released in the spring.
Concerns had previously been raised at an East Kilbride Area Committee over the validity of spending large amounts of money on Stewartfield Way when its future is, as yet, undecided.
The works are expected to last from this Sunday, March 1 to midnight on Friday, March 13.
Phase 1 will be between Castleglen Road Roundabout at the Holiday Inn Hotel/Tax Office and Phase 2 will be at the Hotel/Tax Office to A726 Queensway.
Access to and from HMRC Centre 1 and the Holiday Inn Hotel will be maintained at all times from one direction and the council say it will be clearly signed.
Chairman of the council’s community and enterprise resources committee, Councillor John Anderson, said: “These works are essential to improve the road surfaces on a longerterm basis and unfortunately can’t be carried out without some inconvenience to road users.
“We would ask that anyone travelling in any of the areas during the times mentioned pays particular attention to the diversion routes which will be clearly signposted.
“Every effort will be made to complete these improvements as early as possible to allow the road to be reopened to traffic.”
SNP East Kilbride East Councillor Gladys Miller, who previously raised concerns over money being spent while a final decision still had to be taken over dualling plans, said: “I raised this at East Kilbride Area Committee.
“The response from the roads department was that given the uncertainty of what the consultation will bring and the timescales associated with this process and the proposed dualling, the road is on the planned maintenance and given that it is a major road, repairs will be required and should not be delayed.”
Meanwhile Tory East Kilbride West Councillor, Ian Harrow, who was one of the elected members who gave his views on the City Deal dualling plans in the News last week, said: “I would prefer the repairs to be done as we hope to thwart the plans for dualling Stewartfield Way.
“The damage that can be done to cars in the interim may still be significant and drivers should expect roads to be improved where necessary.”
He told the News last week that the“overwhelming view” from campaigning is that “residents were against this proposal”.
A parliamentary petition has also been launched by Dr Lisa Cameron MP demanding that South
Lanarkshire Council carry out an environmental audit on plans as a matter of urgency.
That came after SLC said full environmental studies would only be carried out when plans were finalised – not before.