Motorists face lengthy detour as A96 at Huntly to close for roadworks

The repair work - which runs from March 4 to 11- will fix "defects" on the road.

By Bailey Moreton

March 1 2024, 2:21 pm

A96 Overtaking Lanes, between Huntly and Keith. Image: by Scott Baxter/DC Thomson

Motorists will face a lengthy diversions on the A96 near Huntly next week as work starts to fix road defects.

More than 700 metres of A96 road surface near the village of Cairnie, north of Huntly, is being repaired.

The work is scheduled to take place between Monday, March 4 to Monday, March 11.

The £330,000 project is being carried out by Amey on behalf of Transport Scotland and will “address defects with the road”.

Weekend closure for A96 roadworks

The work will take place between the Cairnie junction and 520 metres south of the Windyraw junction.

To keep roadworkers safe, daytime temporary traffic lights will be set up on weekdays.

The lights will be in place from Monday, March 4 to Friday, March 8 between 9.15am and 3.30pm.

Over the weekend, a full road closure will be in place – from 6.30pm on Friday, March 8 to 6.30am on Monday, March 11.

Northbound traffic will turn left onto the A920 at Huntly, proceeding onto the A941 at Dufftown and following the route to Craigellachie.

Traffic can turn right onto the A95 and continue to Keith.

Southbound traffic will take the route in reverse.

The detour should take 50 minutes to drive, while the direct route between Huntly and Keith usually takes around 15 minutes.

The road is set to be cleared and fully open again by 6.30am on March 11.

The repair work is taking place between the Highland Council/Moray Council boundary and the B9111 west of Auldearn.

Its started on February 26 and should be complete by Friday, April 12.

The work is being carried out overnight between 7pm and 6am to minimise disruption, with a single lane closure in place for the safety of workers.

Unclassified roads within the area are also having to close overnight including Penick Road at its eastern junction with the A96.

Diversion route signs are in place.

In a statement, Traffic Scotland said: “The improvements will benefit more than 12,000 vehicles who use this route each day.”

The work is set to cost £430,000.

Real-time journey information can be obtained by visiting www.trafficscotland.org or via X @TrafficScotland.