This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Work on A78 three-town bypass begins
30/09/2003
Work started today on the new A78
bypass for the Ayrshire towns of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and
Stevenston.
Speaking at an official ceremony to
mark the start of work, Transport Minister Nicol Stephen
said that it marks a significant investment in West
Scotland's road transport infrastructure, and that the
project should be completed by spring 2005.
Mr Stephen said:
"Traffic congestion in the centre of
the three towns will be reduced as a result of the bypass,
leading to a better, safer environment and improved journey
times. The bypass will mainly be of dual-carriageway
standard which will also bring further safety benefits.
"This investment is good news for the
people of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston. They have
been campaining for a bypass for many years and I am
pleased to see work now beginning.
Funding for the bypass has come out of
the Executive's Motorways and Trunk Roads Budget. The A78
Three-Town Bypass of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston
was one of 5 major schemes selected for construction in the
1999 Strategic Roads Review.
A separate contract to build a new
railway bridge over the bypass at Montfode is currently
being tendered.
The project involves the construction
of approximately 5 km of new dual-carriageway, 1.4 km of
single carriageway with climbing lane, four roundabout
junctions and associated side roads together with a number
of bridges. The scheme commenced construction on 25 August
2003 and is programmed for completion in early 2005.
The total scheme cost £34m. AWG and
Mowlem formed a 'one-off' joint venture to bid for the
works in competitive tender with two other construction
companies. The contract was awarded to a joint venture
between AWG and Mowlem for a fixed sum of £26.2 million. It
is a two-year contract to construct the Three-Town Bypass
on the A78 in North Ayrshire.