• Overnight weekday road closures

Motorists using the A68 in the Scottish Borders are advised to plan ahead to avoid overnight road closures, with £395,000 worth of essential resurfacing works scheduled to begin at Blackburn Farm, approximately 3km north of Lauder, on the evening of Sunday 17 January.

The works will see Transport Scotland’s operating company BEAR Scotland resurface 1.2km of carriageway, creating smoother and safer journeys for motorists.

To allow these works to be completed safely and efficiently, the A68 at Blackburn Farm will be closed in both directions from 19:30 until 06:30 each night on Sunday 17, Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 January.

A diversion route will be signposted 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 outwith these closures, however a 30mph speed limit will be in place as road users will be travelling over a temporary surface. At times, for road user safety, temporary traffic lights will also be installed outwith working hours.

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.

Strict physical distancing protocols are in place to protect teams and ensure they remain safe on site, in line with Scottish Government guidance.

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

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.”

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