Forth Replacement Crossing

[Squigs]

You are absolutly right, it does look stupid on a map.

It looks worse if you follow the line from M9 J1a to the FRC, via the A90 and the new "All Purpose Special Road".

With this in mind, once the new North-Bound slips are added to J1A (Work has already started) Will they be closing J2?

I beleive the intention of the new slip roads is to releive the pressure of heavy traffic through the village of Newton on the A904, but it seems a mad route to the FRC or indeed the old crossing if it remains possible to leave the M9 at J2 and take the A904 to the bridge.

[Potholes ate my car]

I don't think J2 is being affected, so traffic coming from the west may see it as a preferable option.

The original plans included an option for a new junction on the M9 (1b?) connecting directly to the new bridge, but this was rejected for various reasons in favour of the final design.

[Glen]

Surely, given the short distance between the end of the M9 spur and the supposed start of the new bridge carriageway, it will be continuous motorway?

Looking on OSM here, there would be what - 600 yards or so of gap between the two stretches.

Likely that we'll see an M90 joined to the rest of the network?

The non-motorway part is to allow the A90 towards Edinburgh to connect to the new junction on the A904 West of Queensferry. Otherwise the A90 would be limited to motorway traffic between Scotstoun and Dolphington.
I make about 1.5 miles from Scotstoun to the new junction.

[Glen]

The original plans included an option for a new junction on the M9 (1b?) connecting directly to the new bridge, but this was rejected for various reasons in favour of the final design.

[Trebeck]

Interesting, looks a lot better 'as the crow flies'.

The Kirkliston local access sliproads look a bit overkill, when local access could be maintained at Queensferry.

[Glen]

Yes, having a direct access to the B9080 from the bridge does seem a bit excessive and such a design would be likely to encourage rat-running on B roads as a shortcut to the A89 or means to avoid Newbridge roundabout.

[FurryBoots]

When is construction scheduled to begin on the bridge itself?

All the schedules that I have seen so far on the Transport Scotland website just say construction will take place between Autumn 2011 and 2016. This obviously includes construction of the ITS which has just been started.

[m80]

When is construction scheduled to begin on the bridge itself?

All the schedules that I have seen so far on the Transport Scotland website just say construction will take place between Autumn 2011 and 2016. This obviously includes construction of the ITS which has just been started.

Blasting and excavation begins this month according to this: http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/roa ... look+ahead

[Potholes ate my car]

According to a VMS on the M8 last night, work on the M9 spur starts tomorrow for 36 weeks.

[Halmyre]

According to a VMS on the M8 last night, work on the M9 spur starts tomorrow for 36 weeks.

"work"?!? There's "works" on the M90 and "works" on the A90 and there's never any bugger working on them when I'm passing! Nowadays "work" means putting up miles of cones, SPECS cameras, and single lane traffic, while "workers" sit in their vans drinking gallons of tea, ogling page 3 of the Sun and filling in their pools coupons!!!!

Rant over (for now).

[Potholes ate my car]

According to a VMS on the M8 last night, work on the M9 spur starts tomorrow for 36 weeks.

"work"?!? There's "works" on the M90 and "works" on the A90 and there's never any bugger working on them when I'm passing! Nowadays "work" means putting up miles of cones, SPECS cameras, and single lane traffic, while "workers" sit in their vans drinking gallons of tea, ogling page 3 of the Sun and filling in their pools coupons!!!!

Rant over (for now).

I'm sure they would have written that if there was room on the VMS

[michael769]

Knowing TS and their approach to VMS messages it will be

"Roadworks cause congestion"

[Burns]

I saw a great one in Glasgow yesterday. We've already had "Tell your passengers to belt up". Now we have "Belt up in the back".

[Big L]

According to a VMS on the M8 last night, work on the M9 spur starts tomorrow for 36 weeks.

"work"?!? There's "works" on the M90 and "works" on the A90 and there's never any bugger working on them when I'm passing! Nowadays "work" means putting up miles of cones, SPECS cameras, and single lane traffic, while "workers" sit in their vans drinking gallons of tea, ogling page 3 of the Sun and filling in their pools coupons!!!!

Rant over (for now).

I think the SAS now send their recruits to the highways agency to learn concealment techniques.

[novaecosse]

ogling page 3 of the Sun

nowt wrong with ogling page 3 of the Sun

[m80]

When is construction scheduled to begin on the bridge itself?

All the schedules that I have seen so far on the Transport Scotland website just say construction will take place between Autumn 2011 and 2016. This obviously includes construction of the ITS which has just been started.

Blasting and excavation begins this month according to this: http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/roa ... look+ahead

It's now showing work up to Jan 2012 ( see under 'Contractor documents')

[FurryBoots]

"work"?!? There's "works" on the M90 and "works" on the A90 and there's never any bugger working on them when I'm passing! Nowadays "work" means putting up miles of cones, SPECS cameras, and single lane traffic, while "workers" sit in their vans drinking gallons of tea, ogling page 3 of the Sun and filling in their pools coupons!!!!

You may have a point. According to the Traffic Scotland website, work will only be carried out on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. How much do you want to bet that some form of restrictions will remain in place during the other non-working days?

The info for the roadworks is as follows:

Related New Forth Crossing Works:

Installation of barrier along full length of M9 Spur in both directions to reduce traffic to one running lane for gantry installation works for Junction 1A reconstruction.

One running lane??

Saying that, you can take this info with a pinch of salt. It says that the roadworks start on week commencing 7th Nov. but give the start date as the 3rd Nov.

[Squigs]

Having read M80's comment regarding the 3 month look ahead documents on the Traffic Scotland, I came accross http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/fil ... -M9J1a.pdf. (I am sorry, I don't know how to shorten it, editor, please help?).

This Document gives the next 3 months work on the M9 Junction 1a works.

The remarkable thing about it is that it keeps mentioning the M901?

Is this a new number being allocated to the M9 Spur? Or perhaps as this document also mentions the M9 Spur, could the M901 be a link between M9 J1a and the M8 at claylands, thus allowing the M9 Mainline to continue on to the A90 at Scotston?

Of Course, the most likly explanation may be that I am simply totally wrong, if that is the case please put me out of my misery and correct me.

[FurryBoots]

The non-motorway part is to allow the A90 towards Edinburgh to connect to the new junction on the A904 West of Queensferry. Otherwise the A90 would be limited to motorway traffic between Scotstoun and Dolphington.
I make about 1.5 miles from Scotstoun to the new junction.

Going back to this point. It has been suggested on this thread that there may be a short gap in the motorway (between the extended M90 and the existing M9 spur) to allow access for non-motorway traffic.

Does anyone know what the plan is at the point where the new stretch of road south of the forth ties in with the existing A90? I've looked at this plan and this artist's impression and they just show the existing A90 disappear under the new road (with the exception of the bus link). I can't find any drawings of the junction. Also, the artists impression seems to show a motorway right up to the point where it meets the existing A90.

[Squigs]

it's going here: http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum/vie ... =1&t=27686