Essential work on the Edinburgh Trams project will be undertaken in Gyle this weekend, as the public transport development continues to make progress.

The South Gyle Access Road will be closed from 07:00 on Saturday 6 October until 19:00 on the following Sunday 7 October.

Work will be carried out on the South Gyle Access Bridge, which will be part of the route the new trams will use to gain access to Edinburgh Airport.

Edinburgh City Council has announced alternative routes will be available to road users, from Bankhead Drive to Glasgow Road via Meadow Place Road, or from South Gyle Broadway to Glasgow Road via the Gogar Roundabout.


Pedestrian access under the bridge will be maintained throughout.

Transport Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: "It is very important that we keep up the momentum of recent months and make steady progress towards delivering a first class tram line for Edinburgh.

"In order to do this, road closures are sometimes necessary and I understand that these cause inconvenience. Every effort will be made to minimise the impact of this and I would like to thank all residents and road users once again for their patience during this time."

The project is the second largest infrastructure project in Scotland after the Forth Replacement Crossing.

The Trams are due to begin passenger services in the city by Summer 2014 and will have an end-to-end journey time of around half an hour.

A passenger service will be provided to take commuters from Edinburgh International Airport to York Place in the city centre.

According to the council, the new trams will be among the most advanced in Europe with zero on-street carbon emissions.

(IT/GK)