Three weeks of roadworks on busy Hamilton commuter link

Oct 20 2011 by Alastair McNeill, Hamilton Advertiser

COMMUTERS using one of Hamiltons busiest streets were this week facing a roadworks headache.

The work will reduce Muir Street from four-lanes to two until mid to late November. And theres certain to be congestion at busy times. Rush hour traffic is already sluggish in the area.

The latest roadworks, carried out by Scottish Water, will begin as roadsurfacing works on Union Street, Hamilton, is scheduled to come to a close.

Scottish Water say the work is part of their continuing improvements near the Muir Street/Mote Hill roundabout at Palace Grounds.

Signs will be in place to advise motorists of the lane closures.

A diversion will also be in place to permit access to Fore Row and Back Row off Muir Street.

Scottish Water project manager Jim Osborne explained: The reason for the works is to carry out remedial works to an existing storm overflow chamber to improve water quality in the watercourses around Hamilton.

This is part of a wider suite of projects to upgrade the waste water network in the town. This multi-million pound investment will protect the natural environment in Hamilton for generations to come.

Scottish Water general manager Rob Mustard described the works as essential.

He added: Since forming in 2002, Scottish Water has invested heavily in Lanarkshire. The sum of £140m was invested in 2006-10 in water and waste infrastructure for North and South Lanarkshire.

This work is part of our continuing improvements planned for the 2010-2015 investment period.

We are delivering this work while our charges are the third lowest in the UK and have been frozen for 2010/2011.

Mr Mustard added: We have also cut the costs of running the utility by 40 per cent while delivering the largest investment programme per household in the UK.