A71 to reopen early

the a71 at West Calder will re-open two weeks earlier than expected.

network rail have announced that the road will re-open with temporary traffic lights in place more than two weeks ahead of schedule following the reconstruction of the bridge over the railway in the town.

the bridge, which was demolished in January, was reconstructed as part of a 16-week programme which will see the a71 re-open on april 10. the team will then work to complete the bridge, remove the temporary traffic light and fully re-open the a71 by May 16.

though the demolition of the bridge was required due to the age and condition, the project itself was part of wider work on the shotts line ahead of the electrification of the route by 2019 as part of a scottish government investment which is being delivered by network rail.

Mak Kader, programme manager for the shotts Line Electrification, said: “We are delighted that the work in West Calder has gone so well.

“our primary concern has been the impact of the road closure on the local community and it is very welcome news that the road is re-opening ahead of schedule.

“given the location, this project was always a huge logistical challenge but with the scale and complexity of what has been delivered, it is credit to the network rail project team and contractor Bam nuttall.”