Two Airdrie roads will be closed later this month as roundabouts are installed in the ongoing upgrading of one of the town’s busiest routes.
Part of South Biggar Road is to shut for five days from Monday, November 14, followed by a stretch of Craigneuk Avenue for the same period from the following Monday.
Both will be blocked off at their respective junctions with the A73 Carlisle Road as the two new roundabouts are constructed to replace the current staggered crossroads.
Resurfacing of the two roads will also take place as part of the works – which are taking place as part of the larger project of road improvements linked to the nearby construction of the new Lidl supermarket.
The new roundabouts will include dedicated right-turn lanes to improve traffic flow at the difficult junctions on the main road, and come after years of requests for improvements from residents and councillors.
North Lanarkshire Council said as the project began in September: “A new junction layout was developed following a feasibility study to assess road safety, traffic operation, pedestrian routes and engineering requirements”; while their work also includes installing a new pedestrian crossing and widening pavements.
South Biggar Road will be shut as far as Gartleahill during the week of roadworks, with the official diversion for traffic being via Clark Street, Graham Street and Gartlea Road.
Craigneuk Avenue will be closed up to Howletnest Road, beyond the football stadium, with motorists being sent along an alternative route of Petersburn Road, Bankhead Avenue and Willow Drive.
Both road closure notices from North Lanarkshire Council note: “Vehicular and pedestrian access will be permitted where practical during the closure.”
New street lighting, drainage and landscaping are also part of the project, along with required utility diversions, and work is due to be completed by the end of the month.
Constructors working on the Lidl store are meanwhile creating an entrance to the new retail development from Carlisle Road and closing up obsolete accesses from the site’s demolished warehouses, as well as installing a new pedestrian crossing and relocating bus laybys.
The new supermarket, which will be Lidl’s seventh in North Lanarkshire, is due to open by the end of the year; while a further planning application has been granted for a drive-thru coffee shop on the same site.