Work to improve a busy section of road near a primary school after complaints from parents will start next month.
Moves to widen the existing footpath at Boghead Bridge to the rear entrance into St Mary’s Primary School in Bathgate (on the health centre side) are due to start.
We had reported previously how the school's parent council said children are at risk walking along a busy road.
The parent council said the path leading along Whitburn Road is high-risk and unsafe for children walking to school.
They have been campaigning for safety improvements for years on the busy Whitburn Road and submitted a petition to West Lothian Council to have the pavement widened.
The project will involve sections of new footpaths being created, the relocation of the existing pelican crossing to the north of the Starbucks entrance, the installation of a new toucan crossing on the south side of Boghead Bridge to Morrisons and existing cycle path, the installation of a raise table into the rear access to St Mary’s Primary and the installation of two new crossing point islands on the carriageway.
Executive councillor for environment and sustainability, Tom Conn said: “This is a significant project and investment in our local infrastructure.
The works form part of the council’s Active Travel Programme and council officers are currently working in partnership with design consultants Aecom and Sustrans on this project to increase the width of the footpath and improve the crossing facilities. The overall goal is to provide a wider footway, improved crossing facilities and a safer environment for all users.”
Footpath closures and temporary traffic lights including pedestrian crossing facilities will be in place over a period of four to six weeks between the 27 February – 7 April 2023.
There will be added benefits for cyclists as this work will also provide a safe crossing point for those coming off the existing cycle route.
Advance notification and traffic management signage will go up two to three weeks before the start date for the works and notification letters/emails will be delivered to all those immediately affected with all the relevant details.
Gordon Brown, the council’s Roads and Transportation Service Manager added: “We do appreciate that this location is an extremely busy area.
"We will endeavour to minimise the delays and congestion to an absolute minimum which contractors will achieve by manually controlling the temporary traffic signals during the peak periods of traffic flow.
"However, because of the nature of our works and the volume of traffic requiring access to both the Medical Centre and surrounding businesses, there may be times whereby there is congestion which could lead to additional journey times when passing through this area.
"So if you are planning on travelling in this area when the works are in progress, please consider this and allow more time for your journey.”
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