Changes to Commercial Road Access

News release from Scottish Borders Council: Thursday 17 September 2020

Hawick Flood Protection Scheme Update

Access to Commercial Road will change next month as part of the Hawick Flood Protection Scheme’s advanced works.

The advanced works so far has been focussed on a section of the road between the Sainsbury’s entrance and Laing Terrace, with access to all businesses from Albert Bridge end of Commercial Road. This section of work will be completed by the end of September and the road opened at this location.

The advanced works will then move onto the section of Commercial Road between the Sainsbury’s entrance and Bath Street which will be required to close from Thursday 1 October to complete the utility diversions.

Commercial Road access arrangements from 1 October

  •   No change to the Commercial Road diversion route for A7 traffic, which continues along High Street for soundbound traffic and Wilton Hill and Princes Street for northbound traffic

  • No change for access to all Commercial Road businesses between Albert Bridge and Bath Street

  • Bath Street will be made one-way from Commercial Road to the corner of the Old Baths/pedestrian entrance of Sainsbury’s. This is to allow Commercial Road traffic visiting businesses to safely leave the area. The remaining section of Bath Street will remain two-way.

  • Access to Aldi and Sainsbury’s will be from the North Bridge/Leisure Centre roundabout end of Commercial Road. This section of road will be two-way.

  • Access to all businesses on Commercial Road will be maintained.

Councillor Gordon Edgar, Scottish Borders Council’s Executive Member for Infrastructure, Travel and Transport, said: “The Commercial Road diversion continues to work well and will remain in place until the end of November 2020.

“It is important to say despite the changes from 1 October, access to all businesses along Commercial Road will be retained and new signage will be in place to reflect the changes to help direct customers.

“Once the advanced works are completed, Commercial Road is expected to fully reopen.”

Conor Price, Project Director for the Scheme, said: “SBc Contracts are currently moving public utilities to the inside of Commercial Road to remove them from the corridor through which the new flood protection wall will be constructed in 2021.

“We have spent a number of years designing these diversion works with our partner utility organisations so that the many services could be diverted during one, six-month period.

“I am delighted to confirm that these works are advancing to programme and that to date there have been no service outages to any of the utility customers.

“We remain on programme to have these works completed by December, and thus to have all traffic management removed from Commercial Road before Christmas.”

The £88million Hawick Flood Protection Scheme will deliver protection from a 1 in 75 flood event to over 900 residential and commercial properties at risk along the River Teviot and Slitrig Water.

The Scheme now represents four significant projects in one:

  • The construction of the Flood Protection Scheme

  • The creation of a new Active Travel Network of traffic-free footpath and cycleways, stretching from Volunteer Park along the River Teviot to Weensland and the community recycling centre

  • An upgrade to the A7 trunk road, at Commercial Road, to make it fit for the levels of traffic it now carries

  • The installation of a new high capacity wastewater pumping station within the town’s wastewater treatment works to further alleviate the risk of sewage flooding during future flood events.

Notes to Editors

More information is available at www.hawickfloodscheme.com.

Images are available on SBC’s Flickr page.

Hawick Flood Protection Scheme costs will be £88m, including the main works contract, which represents a major investment in the infrastructure of the town of Hawick. Contributions to the overall scheme costs include:

  • Scottish Government - £63m

  • Scottish Borders Council - £15m

  • SUSTRANS, the national walking and cycling charity, is contributing around £9m towards the cost of the new Active Travel Network along the River Teviot.

  • Scottish Water - £665,000 towards cost of new wastewater pumping station

  • Transport Scotland - £500,000 towards upgrade of Commercial Road

  • It is estimated that if these four projects were to be carried out independently of each other, the overall cost would be in the region of £101m. It means the Scheme represents significant value for money in terms of the public purse.

For more information contact SBC's Communications and Marketing team: 01835 826632 or communications@scotborders.gov.uk

Claire Douglas