Dunfermline roadworks: Traffic management is 'going to plan'

That's the message from Fife Council after heavy criticism of the £650,000 roadworks and the impact they're having - with one councillor already calling for them to be halted - with many also questioning why they're even needed.

Traffic lights are being installed on the roundabout, the lights at the Nethertown Broad Street and Moodie Street junction are being upgraded and approach roads are being resurfaced.

John Mitchell, head of the council's roads and transportation services, said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise for the disruption caused by the initial day of set up and signal adjustments.

"We appreciate that the initial delays caught people off guard and was understandably frustrating.

"I’m pleased to say that traffic is now moving well and we will work with the contractor to ensure that delays are minimised as much as practically possible.

There has been heavy criticism of the £650,000 scheme to put traffic lights at Bothwell Gardens, upgrade other traffic lights at Nethertown Broad Street and Moodie Street and resurface approach roads. (Image: David Wardle)

"An assessment of the effects of new development around the city, including housing, has identified the need for a range of improvements because of the scale of planned growth which includes 8,000 new homes, four new primary schools and development of employment land in the coming years."

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On Monday the council was forced to say sorry after the project started a day earlier than planned, leading to "chaos" on the roads on Sunday, with added confusion from the signs put out at the roadside that said it would take 16 weeks and 20 weeks.

Mr Mitchell confirmed that the roadworks are programmed to last for 16 weeks, which would take us into October, and the transport upgrades were needed to ensure the city's road network can cope with the forecasted population increase.

He said: "Whilst this upgrade has been identified as necessary, unfortunately there will be an unavoidable impact on the travelling public in the coming months due to its central location.

"We would ask that people, where possible, consider alternative routes and allow more time for their journeys.

The four-way traffic signals have led to lengthy tailbacks with motorists stuck in long queues. And drivers avoiding the area have contributed to congestion on other routes, such as Linburn Road. (Image: David Wardle)

"We appreciate that there are local events during the period of the roadworks, and we will work to minimise delays as much as we can."

Mr Mitchell said that assessment work identified that as the large developments are delivered, additional trips will create "significant congestion at specific locations" on the existing road network unless key improvements are delivered.

Those improvements include the new traffic lights installed at the Pitreavie roundabout in 2022 and the current works at Bothwell Gardens roundabout.

There are also two bypasses planned, the Northern Link Road and Western Distributor Road, which are designed to serve the new housing estates and take traffic away from the city centre.

These two new roads, along with the improvements listed above, will be funded by housing developers.