A720 Edinburgh City Bypass: Travel disruption as five weeks of closures planned on busy bypass

Drivers have been warned ahead of five weeks of closures on the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass.

Stretches of the busy trunk road will shut between June 22 and August 2, while resurfacing works are carried out. The closures will be in place on weeknights, from 8.30pm to 6am. The road will remain fully open and no work will take place on Saturday and Sunday nights.

Here’s everything you need to know about the closures:

What sections of the A720 will close and when?

A720 Gilmerton to Straiton

This westbound stretch of the Edinburgh bypass will shut for 13 nights, from June 22 to July 10. Motorists will be diverted via the Sheriffhall Roundabout, A7 Southbound, Gilmerton Road Roundabout, A772, Gilmerton Station Road, Lasswade Road, Lang Loan, Straiton Junction, Straiton Road, and A701. The diversion will add three miles and 1.1 miles onto affected journeys.

A720 Gilmerton eastbound off-slip

This section of the Edinburgh City Bypass will close for four nights, from July 10 and 13. The diversion route will take drivers from via the Sheriffhall Roundabout, A7, Gilmerton Road Roundabout, and Gilmerton Road/ A772, adding an extra four minutes and 1.8 miles onto the drive time.

A720 Millerhill to Sheriffhall

The westbound stretch of this section of road will be shut for eight nights, from July 24 to August 8. Traffic will be re-directed to the Old Craighall Junction Roundabout, B6415/ Old Craighall Road, A6106/ Millerhill Road, and Sheriffhall Roundabout. The diversion will add an additional two minutes and 0.6 miles onto the route.

Why are these road closures necessary?

Sections of the A720 will be closed to ensure the safety of workers and the public while resurfacing works are carried out. Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland’s South East Network Manager, said: “These surfacing improvements will remove defects in the road surface such a potholes and cracking, creating safer and smoother journeys for motorists.

“It is essential for the safety of the workforce that we close the carriageway during these works, however we’ve scheduled them during overnight hours to minimise any disruption. We thank motorists in advance for their patience while our teams carry out these improvements”.