The Westbound lane by the Calder junction on the A720 has been reopened following the fierce lorry fire that led to five-hour delays for some commuters.
Traffic Scotland announced shortly before midnight last night (Thursday 14 April) that all lanes that had been closed Westbound on the City Bypass following the incident had now been cleared.
They posted: “A720 A71 (Calder Jct) - Closure, All lanes closed Westbound has been cleared. #TSIncident”
Images from yesterday showed the lorry trailer engulfed in flames that were as much as two metres high. They also showed huge plumes of black smoke billowing into the air.
Police Scotland gave a warning yesterday afternoon to nearby residents in Wester Hailes and Sighthill to close their windows due to the pollution in the air.
Emergency services were in attendance for hours following on from the blaze as they attempted to direct traffic.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported from the incident.
However, those travelling Westbound were stung with severe delays and often left waiting hours as the issue was investigated and debris from the incident was cleared.
A Twitter user, commenting on a Travel Scotland update on the social media platform, said: “One user said: "We've been stuck in this for five hours. These repeated identical updates aren't acceptable. What actually is being done to open up the road? Is consideration being given to vulnerable people in vehicles?"
Another replied angrily: "Why the f*** are you telling folk it was a 90 minute delay, I've been stuck in this s*** show for three and a half hours."
One added: "Truck is on the Calder slip road, Why not reopen the bypass and allow all the traffic to move? It can then be closed tonight for recovery and any carriageway repairs needed."
