M73 roadworks cause long delays at Raith

Aug 28 2008 by John Rowbotham, Hamilton Advertiser

COMMUTERS using the Raith Interchange faced delays up to half an hour this week because of roadworks taking place almost two miles away.

Last Friday, road maintenance giant Amey began a three-week project to repair the south-bound slip road from the M73 to the north-bound M74 at the Maryville Junction, near Uddingston.

Traffic planning to use the slip road has been diverted south along the M74 to the already busy Raith Interchange.

There, cars have been directed around the traffic-controlled junction and on to the north-bound M74.

However, the additional Raith-bound traffic has caused delays in both directions on the motorway.

On Wednesday, north-bound traffic stretched back two miles from the Raith to the Larkhall junction.

At busy times, there has also been congestion for drivers heading south with queues from the Raith to the M73 junction.

Marketing executive Stuart McCusker (31) commutes to Hamilton every day from his home in Stirling and he said: “These roadworks are adding half an hour to my journey.”

“On Monday, the queue on the M73 was back to the Gartcosh intersection and traffic was nose-to-tail from the M73 slip road to the Raith Interchange.”

Gordon Bryson (57), who travels each day from Larkhall to his work in Bellshill, said: “Even with trying to travel at staggered times, as advised by Amey, the Raith interchange has been a bit of a nightmare for drivers all this week.”

Traffic at the interchange is so heavy that Transport for Scotland and the Scottish Executive plan major improvement work costing more than £60 million.

Amey say the £450,000 slip road maintenance project is vital.

A spokesman for the road agency said the slip road’s waterproofing was leaking and this had caused a deterioration.

The spokesman added: “With major work currently taking place on the M73 slip road to the M74, it is inevitable that there will be a degree of congestion.

“Traffic is being diverted via junction 5 Raith Interchange and delays are currently in line with projections.

“We appreciate the inconvenience this causes to road users, however, recent tests have shown that the slip road requires immediate attention.

“The routes are used to access a number of key local services in the vicinity of Maryville Junction (J4) and with this in mind, I would urge all drivers or others intending to use these services to plan their route carefully.”

Information on delays on the trunk road network is available at www.trafficscotland.org or by phoning Traffic Scotland’s Customer Care Line on 0800 028 1414.