Saughton Road North to re-open tonight but motorists face more misery

A ROAD is set to be closed for 11 weeks after the first stage of water works was completed two months ahead of schedule.

The work at Saughton Road North. Picture: Contributed

Work has been completed on Saughton Road North, which will re-open to traffic this evening, as just under a kilometre of new pipe supplying 4,000 customers has been upgraded.

Scottish Water will turn its attention to Kirk Loan after the festive period - with the route set to be close to traffic for 11 weeks.

The £1 million rolling programme will restart on January 8, 2018 before moving along to Clermiston Road.

The project was labelled a “shambles” after bosses failed to tell residents it was about to start.

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Scott Fraser, Scottish Water’s corporate affairs regional manager, said: ““We are pleased that we have completed the Saughton Road North phase ahead of schedule.

“This is down to using a method called pipe bursting, which is a trenchless way of upgrading the water pipes, as ‘launching and receiving’ pits replace the need for a traditional construction trench in the road, resulting in faster, less intrusive work, leading to quicker reinstatement of the road.

“Scottish Water acknowledges that closing this section of road has been inconvenient for the local community, road users and public transport. We apologise for any inconvenience and thanks affected road users for their ongoing patience and understanding.”