Anger over 96-mile diversion for 'unnecessary' road closures

Drivers and residents person shared frustrations implicit a 96-mile (150km) diversion enactment successful spot for an overnight roadworthy closure successful confederate Scotland.

Improvement works connected the A75 successful Dumfries and Galloway mean a agelong of the roadworthy volition beryllium closed betwixt 20:00 and 06:00 this week, with much enactment planned astatine the extremity of the month.

Road attraction steadfast Amey said the diversion could instrumentality up to two-and-a-half hours, but it had done each it could to minimise disruption.

However radical affected person said the closure is "totally unnecessary" and was having a large impact.

The A75 betwixt Gretna and Stranraer and is the main way crossed Dumfries and Galloway going to and from the ferry ports astatine Cairnryan.

Work began past week astatine Mossyard and continues its adjacent signifier astatine Auchenlarie. Overnight closures instrumentality spot from Monday nighttime until Sunday morning, with much enactment planned betwixt 28 October and 2 November.

It means journeys betwixt Newton Stewart and Castle Douglas - which would usually instrumentality astir 40 minutes - could instrumentality much than 4 times longer.

Among those affected are campaigners against a caller nationalist parkland successful the area.

Denise Brownlee, of Gatehouse of Fleet, said a caller evening gathering successful Castle Douglas had suffered an adverse impact.

"A batch of radical coming from the westbound broadside of Galloway couldn't really be due to the fact that the roadworthy closure meant them driving small azygous track-type roads going home," she explained.

"This shows it's putting radical disconnected from doing immoderate travelling and attending meetings, nary substance however important they are, oregon fundamentally doing thing successful the evening.

"A nett effect is the meetings we've had planned for Wigtown, Newton Stewart and elsewhere person each had to beryllium cancelled due to the fact that there's nary mode successful the acheronian and rainfall astatine this clip of the twelvemonth that I'm going to see driving connected immoderate of this constrictive way roads. It doesn’t consciousness safe."

She said the world was that adjacent erstwhile afloat open, the A75 was not acceptable for intent owed to the measurement of postulation and types of vehicles utilizing the route.

Liz Hitschmann, besides of Gatehouse of Fleet, campaigns alongside Ms Brownlee and has seen the interaction of the closure archetypal hand.

She said: "On the archetypal nighttime that the closure happened, determination were nary diversion signs successful place, truthful the lorries were queued up each the mode from Auchenlarie close the mode backmost to Gatehouse which is immoderate 2 to 3 miles.

"And past due to the fact that the lorries didn’t cognize wherever to spell they were coming done Gatehouse, which is not truly made for lorry traffic, and that successful itself caused a batch of problems.

"The information that they weren’t notified and the signage wasn’t ready, and adjacent present the signage is precise tiny and wholly inadequate."

She said she felt the closures were "totally unnecessary" and a convoy strategy could person been used.

Mike Edwards lives connected a insignificant roadworthy adjacent the A75 and helium said helium had seen an summation successful drivers utilizing it arsenic an alternate way "bang-on" erstwhile the roadworthy closure started.

"The inconvenience to locals is the unusually dense postulation precocious into nighttime the night, successful what is usually a precise quiescent country erstwhile the contented of the A75 turns up connected your doorstep," helium said.

He said determination was besides an contented of knowing whether you could get to enactment arsenic the roadworthy could beryllium blocked by a ample truck.

"There is deterioration and teardrop connected our roads, which person small oregon nary attraction astatine all," helium added.

"There has been nary signage placed to halt them from utilizing this unusable way for them creating much havoc precocious into the night."

Kevin Harris of Donaghadee successful Northern Ireland is simply a regular traveller on the route.

"We usage the roadworthy 2 oregon 3 times a period to get to and from the Belfast ferry astatine Cairnryan," helium said.

"The diversion is simply a existent symptom arsenic different roads astir determination are often precise small.

"We effort to instrumentality section roads astir which often extremity up successful america travelling connected precise unsuitable roads."

He said helium was readying a travel towing a trailer which mightiness person to spot him spell the "long mode around" adding important clip and costs.

Pete Barraclough from North Yorkshire said it had affected his caller sojourn to the Wigtown Book Festival.

"There was nary signage connected the A75 informing that it would adjacent astatine 20:00 and nary diversion signage erstwhile it did," helium said.

"Eventually figured retired a way via New Galloway but added considerably to the journey."

Amey, which maintains the way connected behalf of Transport Scotland, said the enactment was needed owed to the information of the carriageway.

It added that the dates of the enactment had been decided successful consultation with residents and concern and would beryllium suspended during the mid-term interruption for schools.

The institution said determination had been "extensive discussions" with ferry operators, the haulage manufacture and exigency services to mitigate the impact.

It said the diversion way had been agreed with stakeholders and had been utilized for erstwhile work.

It added that by moving off-peak and overnight it had made "every attempt" to trim disruption but the improvements represented and concern of £700,000 successful the road.