The upgrade will include nearly two miles of segregated routs for pedestrians and cyclists and five subways linking up to all local roads served by the new Sheriffhall roundabout.
Draft orders for the A720 Sheriffhall roundabout were published earlier this month. Local communities and road users are now being given a chance to see the plans at public exhibitions this week.
Cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity Michael Matheson said: “Sheriffhall roundabout is the only at-grade junction on the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass and is a well-known bottleneck, often the scene of significant queuing particularly at morning and evening peak times.”
He added that the scheme design will see a new flyover arrangement for traffic travelling on the City Bypass, separating local traffic from the strategic traffic on the bypass and allowing the traffic on the bypass to flow freely.
“As part of our commitment to improve active travel facilities across the country, our plans for the scheme also include nearly two miles of active travel routes with five dedicated subways under the new roundabout providing links to nearby NMU (non-motorised user) routes,” he said. “This means that cyclists and pedestrians will no longer have to compete with road traffic when negotiating the busy junction but instead will have their own safer dedicated alternative for accessing the nearby NMU routes and local roads served by the roundabout, transforming the way they cross the city bypass.”
Councillor Adam McVey, convener of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Joint Committee, said: “We are determined to promote sustainable transport and to see facilities for public transport, cyclists and pedestrians significantly improved. This investment is a huge opportunity and I would encourage everyone with an interest in the scheme to come along to this week’s exhibitions to see them in detail and share their views.”
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