A72 to be shut near Innerleithen for two days as £2.2m roadworks near completion

The Hamilton-Galashiels road is to be shut at Dirtpot Corner on Monday and Tuesday, June 24 and 25, between 9am and 5pm daily so it can be resurfaced.

That stretch of the A72 has been an accident blackspot for years, but the works being carried out there are intended to tackle that by making it wider, improving its surface and adding better road safety fencing and parapets.

Disruption to drivers will continue after that two-day daytime closure as traffic lights will be put in place afterwards to allow finishing works to be carried out before the road is fully reopened.

Drivers heading west are advised to follow a diversion route via the A7, B6392, A6094, A703 and back to the A72, and the same applies in reverse for eastbound traffic.

If local access for cars or vans, but not lorries, is needed on june 24 and 25, however, a convoy system will be in operation from the B709-B7062 Traquair junction to the Cardrona-A72 junction, though drivers are being warned that such journeys could take up to half an hour.

Bus services along the A72 will run as normal but via convoy system, so passengers are being warned to expect delays on such services too.

Electronic signage will be put in place to advise motorists of the upcoming closure.

Selkirkshire councillor Gordon Edgar, Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for roads and infrastructure, said: “The council has recognised the importance of the A72 as a vital east-west link, which is why the Dirtpot Corner improvement scheme was designed to minimise road closures by carrying out most of the construction work from the river bank.

“However, in order to resurface the corner safely, we now have to close this section of the road for two days.

“We would encourage commuters and local people to avoid the area on June 24 and 25 if possible, with a convoy system in place for local use if required.”

In a joint statement, Tweeddale East councillors Stuart Bell, Shona Haslam and Robin Tatler added: “The Dirtpot Corner improvement scheme has made fantastic progress, with a new six-metre-high wall protecting the A72 from the River Tweed now in place, allowing the road to be widened by three metres.

“We must thank the local community for their patience during the scheme and, during the two-day closure, would ask that they give themselves extra time for their journeys.”

Work to make Dirtpot Corner safer has been ongoing since last August as part of a decade-long £86m transport infrastructure improvement programme agreed a year ago in February.