SCOTLAND’S essential Erskine Bridge has been closed northbound for days due to roadworks, causing huge delays and congestion in the area.
Amey, the contractor working on behalf of Traffic Scotland is undertaking essential resurfacing and joint replacement on the bridge across the River Clyde.
Works started at 8pm on Friday on the bridge, which proves crucial for connecting West Dunbartonshire with Renfrewshire, and were due to finish at 6am on Monday.
As of 9:30am on Tuesday, however, the works are still ongoing.
Giving an update at 7:10am today, Traffic Scotland said: “due to overrunning essential works, the A898 Erskine Bridge will remain closed northbound.”
Traffic Scotland also added there is “no estimated time for the road to reopen,” adding to the headaches for commuters.
“Traffic is extremely slow on surrounding routes including the Clyde tunnel (10 min delay [approximately]) and the Renfrew Bridge,” Traffic Scotland went on to say.
Many motorists took issue with this estimation of the delays, however, and panned the announcement online, voicing their displeasure.
Bronwyn O’Riordan wrote: “‘10min delay’ meaning 10 mins longer than usual to get through the tunnel?
“It took from 8am to 9:45 to get from Erskine to Renfrew this morning.”
Iain Brown was more curt, writing: “Two hours extra to get home, you useless clowns!”
In a statement released prior to the start of the works, Amey said: “These works represent an investment of around £100,000 in the infrastructure of the A898 Erskine Bridge and will improve the condition of the bridge joints and the road surface; increasing reliability and safety and ensuring the continued operation of the bridge and reducing the need for more extensive or disruptive works in the future.
The contractor also claimed, in a statement posted to its website on Sunday, that the extension to the works project was due to “forecast heavy rain”.
There were also restrictions on the bridge southbound, but these have since been lifted.
