Renfrew's Arkleston Road set for partial reopening after bridge crash
The reopening of a busy Renfrew road has been delayed after 'a wrinkle in the plans' was discovered.
Arkleston Road, which acts as an access route to the busy M8, has been closed since Wednesday, June 4, after a lorry travelling westbound on the motorway crashed into the bridge.
Transport Scotland suggested an initial structural assessment of the bridge indicated significant repairs were required and would come with a potential six-month closure of the arterial route.
However, this was deemed totally unacceptable with an action plan drawn up to get the road open again. A traffic management system was settled on with yesterday expected to be the day for reopening.
But there was a late snag with Councillor John Shaw, an SNP representative for Renfrew North and Braehead, saying it will now be tomorrow when the road opens to ease the burden of motorists and the local roads network.
In a statement on social media on Tuesday, he said: 'There's been a bit of a wrinkle in the plans to partially reopen Arkleston Road Bridge tomorrow.
'The council's roads team have advised that a temporary speed restriction of 20mph is required on the bridge and, to legally enforce this, a temporary traffic regulation order (TTRO) needs to be in place.
'Unfortunately, that means the partial reopening will now be delayed until Friday.'
Both SNP Councillor Jim Paterson and Reform UK politician Jamie McGuire blasted the initial six-month closure prediction.
Cllr Paterson, who last week branded the move as 'not acceptable', had stated: 'Although it is not ideal to have temporary traffic management in place, it is at least positive progress from the potential six-month closure which was initially announced. I will share further updates when available.'
Meanwhile, Councillor McGuire added: 'A closure of up to six months on Arkleston Road will cause significant disruption to local residents and add pressure to surrounding routes like Renfrew Road and Paisley Road.
'I know how frustrating this will be for people trying to get to work, school, or hospital appointments. While safety has to come first, I will be exploring every option to reopen the road sooner.
'We need clear updates, a plan to manage traffic, and proper consideration for those affected.'
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