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Mile-long tailbacks and delays of 20 minutes – when will A96 congestion in Elgin come to an end?

Amey has announced more work will begin next weekend.

Ongoing A96 works are causing major delays in Elgin. Image: Jason Hedges and David Mackay / DC Thomson.
Ongoing A96 works are causing major delays in Elgin. Image: Jason Hedges and David Mackay / DC Thomson.

More works have been planned for the A96 at Elgin, following mile-long tailbacks bringing traffic to a standstill.

Over the last week, huge queues have been forming on the busy trunk road in the town between the Moycroft roundabout and the Travelodge hotel.

The Aberdeen to Inverness road is well-known to be constantly busy with traffic, including commuters, HGVs, and even farming vehicles.

Ongoing pavement and footpath improvements in the town have been blamed for the recent congestion- with frustrated drivers experiencing mile-long tailbacks and 20-minute delays.

Works started on the A96 east of the town centre in March – and were only expected to last six weeks.

But now, Amey, the firm responsible for maintaining the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road, has announced more work will begin next weekend.

From Sunday, August 20, the highway team will carry out overnight surfacing improvements between Moycroft Road and Reiket Lane between 7.30pm to 6.30am each night.

While the works are ongoing, lanes will be closed and temporary traffic signals will be put in place.

Traffic cones and temporary signs have been left on the busy main road. Image: David Mackay/DCT Media.

Linkwood Way and Pinefield Parade will also be surfaced, which will mean more overnight closures and diversions.

When will it all end?

According to Amey, the footpath construction is expected to be completed on August 18.

Meanwhile, the resurfacing works will cause late-night disruption for drivers on the A96 for almost two weeks.

The work is programmed to be finished by September 2, however, this is weather dependent.


Have you experienced any delays on the A96 in Elgin over the last week? Let us know in the comments section below


Amey thanks public for their patience during ‘essential works’

The works will improve walking routes, active travel, and the carriageway for the 22,500 drivers who use the route each day.

An Amey spokesman said: “There are currently ongoing improvement works which will see the A96 through Elgin benefit from both active travel and surfacing improvements.

“Footway construction works, the majority of which are located east of the Reiket Lane roundabout, are currently being progressed throughout the site. This is anticipated to continue until Friday, August 18.

Cars on road, with new pavement being built.
Works have begun on widening pavements and creating footpaths. Image: David Mackay/DCT Media.

“Carriageway resurfacing works are scheduled to begin Sunday, August 20 and programmed to be completed by Saturday, September 2. Alongside resurfacing of the A96, East Road, and Reiket Lane roundabout, we will be undertaking additional Linkwood Way and Pinefield Parade carriageway resurfacing on behalf of the local authority.

“Temporary traffic management is necessary whilst works are progressed to ensure the safety of the workforce and road users. We thank the public for their patience while these essential improvement works are carried out.”

Plan ahead using the Traffic Scotland website.

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