The next phase of tram works has been announced by City of Edinburgh Council.
A new diversion will be introduced for buses in the east end of Princes Street on 3 March while, towards the end of March, work sites at Shandwick Place and Haymarket will be extended to include West Maitland Street. The works are expected to be in place for over a year.
Businesses affected by the works will continue to receive support through the ‘Open for Business’ budget. Additional support was recently announced when Councillors approved a £100,000 injection into the fund, bringing this year’s budget to more than half a million pounds. Local residents, meanwhile, will have an opportunity to find out more about the plans at specially arranged drop-in sessions at St George’s West Church on 15 and 16 February.
The Mound will re-open to taxis, buses, cycles and emergency vehicles on 3 March, four months ahead of the agreed the completion date.
Cllr Gordon Mackenzie, transport convener, City of Edinburgh Council, said: "It is encouraging that work on the tram project continues apace and we will be extending worksites across the city centre to make sure the project is being delivered to programme, as we outlined last December. Thanks to new positive relationships, regular discussions now take place between the council, the contractors and Transport Scotland to ensure the project can be delivered as efficiently as possible.
"Our proposals for additional support for city centre businesses won the backing of all councillors, in a move that will have a real and lasting impact for affected traders. We continue to work closely with our partners and other stakeholders, including the businesses themselves, to minimise the impact of the works and to maintain the attractiveness our city centre as a retail and visitor destination."
The closures of the east side of St Andrew Square combined with a section of Princes Street between Waverley Bridge and South St Andrew Street and, at the west end, Shandwick Place, were brought forward earlier this year and to date the traffic management has been effective.
1. Haymarket – Lothian Road (see map): From the end of March, the existing works sites at Shandwick Place and Haymarket are being extended to include West Maitland Street. This means a revised set of diversions will be put in place. Access will continue for Atholl and Coates Crescents on either side of Shandwick Place, with one end of the crescent being open at any one time. North-South traffic will be maintained through Palmerston Place with through access available via Morrison Street and Torphichen Place. Traffic on Torphichen Place will be reversed to flow from Morrison Street to Palmerston Place. Traffic from Dalry will also be able to travel along Morrison Street which will become two-way as far as Torpichen Place.
Buses will be diverted locally via Rosebery, Grosvenor and Lansdowne Crescents in the north and by the West Approach Road in the south. Emergency services access will be maintained throughout the works.
Residents and businesses will be notified once a specific start date for this work has been set.
The Client Target Programme outlines that current road closures are expected to be lifted at Haymarket by Q3 2013 and at Shandwick Place by Q2 2013.
2. Princes Street – east end (see map): The current diversion means Princes Street is narrowed to one lane for buses only with traffic lights operating between Waverley Bridge and South St. Andrew Street. (This is to accommodate works on South St. Andrew Street which will join up tram works between the two roads).
From 3 March 2012 the bus lane will be removed to allow the contractors to work over a larger area. North - South access will be available from North Bridge to Leith Street and to the Bus Station via York Place. North – South general traffic access through Waverley Bridge onto South St. David Street will remain open.
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