The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Chaos on bridge as roadworks begin
Drivers delayed as traffic brought to ‘complete standstill’
Drivers in Dundee and Fife could be facing a week of chaos after major survey work on the Tay Road Bridge brought traffic to a “complete standstill”.
Work to determine the current state of the concrete deck and waterproofing of the 55-year-old structure began yesterday morning, and will run until Sunday.
A contraflow is in place throughout this week, meaning just one lane of traffic is running in either direction.
Yesterday motorists reported delays adding at least 20 minutes to journeys.
There was congestion around Dundee city centre, particularly on East Marketgait and Arbroath Road, as queues backed up.
On the Fife side, traffic was congested at rush hour on the northbound carriageway between Forgan roundabout and the bridge.
Stagecoach said its services between Dundee and Fife were also experiencing delays as a result of the roadworks.
One commuter tweeted: “There’s slow and there’s slow. Complete standstill on carriageway.”
A bridge spokesman said: “We apologise to all users for the inconvenience caused during these essential works.”
Rush-hour motorists trying to cross the Tay Road Bridge are facing long queues as a result of roadworks which have left the bridge down to one lane.
Standstills were reported on several roads, including Princes Street in Dundee, as drivers tried to make it through the city to the bridge.
A contraflow system is scheduled to be in place until September 19, with severe delays on its first day of operation.
There was congestion around Dundee city centre, particularly on East Marketgait and Arbroath Road, as queues backed up.
On the Fife side, traffic was congested at rush hour on the northbound carriageway between
Forgan roundabout and the bridge.
Stagecoach said its services between Dundee and Fife were also experiencing delays.
“Due to roadworks on the Tay Road Bridge and heavy congestion associated with the roadworks, our services into Dundee and back to Fife are experiencing some delays,” an update said.
The operator’s 42A and 99 services at Dundee Railway Station were all said to be running around 15 to 20 minutes late.
A spokesperson for the bridge thanked drivers for their patience and said extra delays yesterday afternoon were caused by emergency vehicles.
“We have had some extra delays this afternoon due to emergency vehicles requiring to cross using the closed carriageway,” they said. “We apologise to all users for the inconvenience caused during these essential works.”
One driver said it had been “utter chaos”, while others reported being stationary for up to 10 minutes as they tried to cross from the Dundee side.
Bosses at the bridge have warned there will be disruption throughout the work, with drivers asked to plan ahead.
A 30mph speed limit is in place alongside a ban on anyone crossing with loads wider than 2.6m.
One commuter posted on Twitter: “There’s slow and there’s slow. Complete standstill on carriageway.”
Another claimed that the road was “gridlocked”.
The work will determine the current state of the concrete deck and waterproofing of the 55-year-old structure.
Bridge bosses had warned motorists to expect delays for the duration of the project this week.
A Tay Road Bridge spokesman said previously: “The safety of everyone involved in these works is paramount and this means that we must completely separate traffic from contractors.
“We will do this by installing a contraflow traffic management system on the bridge and its approaches.
“The southbound carriageway will be closed first, followed by the northbound carriageway, with all traffic using one lane of the open carriageway to travel each way.
“We ask that you take extra care when crossing the bridge by keeping your speed down and complying with all signs. A 30mph speed limit will be in place.”
Further information can be found on the Tay Road Bridge website.
“There’s slow and there’s slow