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Midlothian welcomes interchange approval

6 Sep 21 Midlothian Council has welcomed City Region Deal approval for grade separation at a congested junction on the Edinburgh City Bypass.

The project will eliminate the roundabout
The project will eliminate the roundabout

Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Region Deal approved the Sheriffhall roundabout scheme on 3rd September.

The Scottish government is committed to investing up to £120m to support improvements to the bypass as part of the City Region Deal programme. The proposed scheme at Sheriffhall would provide a grade-separated junction, designed to relieve traffic congestion and introduce new active travel facilities for walking and cycling.

There is often congestion at the existing roundabout
There is often congestion at the existing roundabout

The A720 Sheriffhall roundabout is currently the only junction on the Edinburgh City Bypass that is not grade-separated, which means the bypass is at the same level as the A7 and A6106 local approach roads. As a result, it often experiences significant queuing, especially during peak hours.

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Following approval for the proposals from the joint committee of the City Region Deal, Midlothian Council leader Derek Milligan said: “We very much welcome this proposed scheme which will help connect Midlothian’s communities and is designed to separate out local traffic from other traffic on the A720.

“As well as improving road safety and relieving the severe traffic congestion experienced by so many at Sheriffhall, the active travel features will be widely welcomed as they will greatly improve accessibility for walkers and cyclists. Significant improvements in bus journey times and reliability can also be expected as a result of the improvements, with the potential for more public transport services in the future.”

He added: “However, Midlothian Council continues to press for this scheme to be delivered urgently. Today’s decision was welcome, but we are urging Transport Scotland to deliver the upgrading much earlier than is currently scheduled.”

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