Edinburgh Council has announced investigative works on Union Street in the city as part of an ongoing programme of city centre improvements.

Four trial holes are to be made in the road and pavement to check what services and ducts are underneath the surface before work is due to start early next year improving Union Street with a new streetscape.

The works are due to last two weeks and buses and emergency vehicles will continue to be allowed on Union Street Central during that time.

The investigative work is due to start on Monday (10 April 2023) with the setting up of traffic and pedestrian management on the north-bound carriageway on Union Bridge and next to the St Nicolas Kirk churchyard entrance. 


The work on Monday will include lifting slabs on the pavement in preparation to start works on two of trial holes on the north side next Tuesday (11 April). This will be backfilled and reinstated on next Wednesday and Thursday (12 and 13 April).

The work teams will then begin to breakout the trial holes on the road on the north side. These will be backfilled and surfaced by Tuesday 18 April.

On Tuesday 18 April, the traffic and pedestrian management will switch over the south-bound carriageway and they will begin lifting slabs on the south side pavement and begin digging the holes. These will be backfilled and reinstated on Thursday 20 April and Friday 21 April. Between Friday 21 April and Monday 24 April, they will dig the trial holes in the carriageway on the south side. These will be backfilled and surfaced on Monday 24 April and Tuesday 25 April. The works are due to be completed on 25 April.

The pavement sections will be completed on Thursday 20 April and Friday 21 April. The road sections will be backfilled and surfaced on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 April.

Due to the works, parts of the pavements are to be closed and bus passengers should check the digital screens at bus stops for information about temporary bus stops.