A68 to be closed overnight for resurfacing near Lauder

BEAR Scotland, Transport Scotland’s operating company, will start work at Blackburn Farm, 3km north of Lauder, on Monday.

The road will be closed in both directions from 7.30pm until 6.30am each night from Monday, January 11 to Friday, January 15, to allow 1.2km of carriageway to be resurfaced.

A diversion will be in place between Carfraemill Roundabout and Earlston via the A697, A6089, and A6105, adding an estimated 11 minutes and 7.9 miles to journeys.

The A68 will remain open in both directions outside of the closure times, however, as road users will be travelling over a temporary surface, a 30mph speed limit will be in place.

Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland’s South East network manager, said: “These surfacing improvements will help to address the defects on this section of the A68 and will greatly improve the experience for motorists.

“It is essential that we close the road during these works to ensure the safety of road workers and motorists, however we’ve arranged for the project to take place overnight to minimise the impact.

“We thank motorists and the local community in advance for their patience and understanding.

“We’ll do all we can to complete the work as quickly and safely as possible.”

Emergency services will be given access through the works at all times and local access for residents within the closure points will be maintained when it is safe to pass through the work area.

BEAR said that strict physical distancing protocols would be in place to protect teams and ensure they remain safe on site, in line with Scottish Government guidance.

Emergency services and other relevant stakeholders were consulted in advance to make them aware of the plans.

Real time journey information is available from www.trafficscotland.org, via twitter at @trafficscotland or the mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.