EIR/202600515535 · FOI/EIR · partially withheld
Transport Scotland - Information regarding maintenance works on the A737: EIR release
Information requested
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 regarding the ongoing maintenance works on the A737, specifically the section currently reduced to one lane in advance of the airport off-ramp.
Please provide the following information in electronic form to me via email. If this is not suitable I will accept paper copies to the address below.
1. Project Schedule: The confirmed or estimated completion date for these works and the original planned duration of the project.
2. Traffic Management Justification: Technical records, risk assessments, or planning documents explaining the necessity of reducing the A737 to one lane prior to the airport off-ramp, rather than implementing the closure after the off-ramp.
3. Correspondence regarding Bridge/Expansion Plates: All correspondence (emails, letters, or meeting minutes) between Transport Scotland and Amey Highways concerning the "plate issue," including the manufacture and delivery delays of these plates.
4. Financial Costs: The total estimated cost of this specific project, including any additional costs incurred due to the manufacturing delays of the plates.
5. Site Logs: Copies of the site diaries or progress reports for the last 14 days to account for the perceived lack of activity on-site during the current lane closures.
Under the "held on behalf of" principle of FoISA/EIRs, I understand that while Amey Highways is a private contractor, the information they generate regarding the management of the Scottish Trunk Road network is subject to these requests when held on behalf of Transport Scotland.
6. A copy of any penalties that Amey are subject to if they do not complete works within a publicly stated period.
Response
As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.
This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.
Please note the information provided for this response does not extend beyond the date of your request .i.e. 24 April 2026.
I will retain your numbering for ease.
The following responses refer to the ongoing maintenance works on the A737, specifically the section currently reduced to one lane in advance of the airport off-ramp.
Q1. In respect of the Project Schedule your asked for "The confirmed or estimated completion date for these works and the original planned duration of the project"
A1. The structure in question (M8S (A737) 29-29 30 & 40 St James Viaduct A & B) was programmed to receive expansion joint refurbishment in financial year 2026/27. It was planned to undertake the refurbishment works under planned traffic management to minimise disruption. The current scope is a reaction to an urgent defect therefore reactive and planning works are taking place in conjunction with the procurement of the materials and traffic planning.
January 2026 - a defect occurred to the west abutment expansion joint, located within the eastbound carriageway. One of the horizontal beams which spans across the carriageway had cracked. This defect was repaired (weld repair) under an emergency closure within 24 hours.
February 2026 - the same expansion joint was showing signs of a dip within lane 1 - at this time the decision was taken to design and install a temporary propping system within the abutment gallery, which would support the expansion joint from below road level. In advance of the propping system being installed the first lane 1 closure on the A737 eastbound was used. This lane closure was removed once the propping was installed.
March 2026 - a special inspection of the west abutment expansion joint was completed by the manufacturer. Their immediate recommendation (as per letter dated 30/03/2026) was to remove traffic load from the expansion joint. This recommendation was accepted and the lane 1 closure was redeployed.
Outline plan for repair with target timescales
T Bridge plates are being installed this month. They are a form of temporary works which will allow the A737 to be fully open during the day, while expansion joints replacement works are undertaken at night. These do however require careful planning prior to installing:
The bridge plates will create a small ramp over the expansion joint (approximately 70mm at the highest point, rising and falling over 5m) and therefore a reduced speed limit of 30mph will be required. A Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) will be in place to allow the speed limit to be reduced. To enforce the revised speed limit, temporary automatic speed cameras (TASCAR) will be deployed. Planning for these include, determining locations, methods of protection and power supply. The bridge plates require a departure from standard, approved by Transport Scotland, and moreover, road safety auditing of the bridge plates and TASCAR as well as the associated signage is required. Bridge plates require a high quality of surfacing in approach and departure, to ensure a smooth transition. Small patching works have therefore been completed. When the bridge plates have been installed and TASCAR deployed (and calibrated) the lane 1 closure will be lifted. There is a target date of 23 May to achieve this, however this date is not confirmed and work will be undertaken to remove the lane 1 closure if possible before this date.
Replacement of expansion joint;
As advised above, when bridge plates are installed the expansion joint replacement works can proceed under full carriageway closures during nightshift working. Removal works will include dismantling the existing joint and making localised concrete breakouts using hydro-demolition. Lead in time for the replacement expansion joint is approximately 11 weeks from point of order, and they were ordered approximately 3 weeks ago. It is the intention to complete removal works ahead of delivery of the replacement expansion joint. It is anticipated to have all works completed to replace the west expansion joint, with removal of road plates, TASCARs and temporary speed reduction by the week commencing 20 July.
Q2. In respect of Traffic Management Justification, you requested technical records, risk assessments, or planning documents explaining the necessity of reducing the A737 to one lane prior to the airport offramp, rather than implementing the closure after the off-ramp.
A2. The traffic management layout installed on the A737 is the standard arrangement and is fully compliant with Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual. Its primary purpose is to protect the bridge expansion joint at the west abutment by removing traffic load from lane 1 as a safety measure.
In accordance with guidance from Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual, it is not permissible to install a traffic management taper (a diagonal line of cones used to transition traffic away from a lane closure) within 200 metres before or after an on‑slip or off‑slip road. As a result of this restriction, it is not possible to commence the lane closure immediately before or after the airport off‑ramp.
The closure has therefore been positioned further upstream to ensure:
Compliance with Chapter 8 requirements Provision of adequate and safe tapers Sufficient advance warning for road users Protection of the safety of the travelling public Adequate protection of the bridge deck joint
The location of the lane reduction has been carefully considered and represents the safest and most design‑standard‑compliant option, balancing operational requirements and public safety.
Q3. In respect of correspondence regarding Bridge/Expansion Plates, you requested all correspondence (emails, letters, or meeting minutes) between Transport Scotland and Amey Highways concerning the "plate issue," including the manufacture and delivery delays of these plates.
A3. It is assumed that the reference to "plate issue", is related specifically to the lead in time for bridge plates delivery. The bridging plates were determined as being required following the recommendation letter by Mageba. Therefore, the documents collated are within the period of 1st April 2026 and the date of the FOI, 24th April 2026.
Included within Annexes A – JJ to this response are copies of correspondence (emails, letters, or meeting minutes) between Transport Scotland and Amey Highways concerning the lead in time for bridge plates delivery.
Due to the size of the files we are unable to upload the documents referred to above.
If you wish to consider, please contact us at the address below and we will be happy to provide.
An exception under Regulation 10(5)(e) of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 applies to some of the information you have requested. This is because disclosure of this information would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information where such confidentiality is provided for by law, and would harm the legitimate economic interests of the parties concerned.
This exception is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception. We recognise that there is some public interest in release, however, on balance, the public interest favours maintaining the exception.
A further exception under regulation 11(2) of the EIRs (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exception is not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exception.
Q4. In respect of Financial Costs, you requested the total estimated cost of this specific project, including any additional costs incurred due to the manufacturing delays of the plates.
A4. At the time of writing Transport Scotland have ordered a sum of £292,740.00 for the purchase and delivery of materials and components for bridging plates and expansion joints. A fee of £4,922.34 has been ordered for surface patching works, £1,700 for environmental scoping £11,288.45 for media and comms.
This scheme has not been developed in a conventional manner. Typically, such schemes would progress through defined stages including investigation (both desktop and site-based), design (including checking and auditing), procurement (preparation of tender documentation and competitive tendering), planning (including road space booking and stakeholder liaison), construction, and postconstruction activities.
In this instance, however, Amey’s design and delivery teams have been required to respond to an urgent situation with the potential to cause harm to road users. As a result, works have been progressed on a reactive basis rather than through the standard staged process. Reflecting this, the full costs associated with the works have not yet been calculated in detail.
At present the supply chain has provided an estimated cost of £795,539.00 for the full completion of the expansion joint replacement works at the west abutment of the eastbound carriageway, including the purchase of materials and components for the east abutment expansion joint. This estimate has not yet been fully confirmed or formally ordered by Transport Scotland.
Transport Scotland has approved expenditure of £292,740.00 for the purchase and delivery of materials and components relating to bridging plates and the 2 no. replacement expansion joints. A separate competitive tender will be undertaken for the installation of the other three expansion joints. In addition, the following costs have been commissioned:
£4,922.34 for surface patching works £1,700.00 for environmental scoping £11,288.45 for media and communications
These figures reflect the position at the time of writing and may be subject to change as the scheme progresses and costs are further confirmed.
Q5. In respect of Site Logs, you requested copies of the site diaries or progress reports for the last 14 days to account for the perceived lack of activity on-site during the current lane closures. You further stated that under the "held on behalf of" principle of FoISA/EIRs, I understand that while Amey Highways is a private contractor, the information they generate regarding the management of the Scottish Trunk Road network is subject to these requests when held on behalf of Transport Scotland.
A5. Included in Annexes A - JJ with this response are copies of the site diaries or progress reports for the last 14 days to account for the perceived lack of activity on-site during the current lane closures.
These include the regular inspections of the propping in the west abutment gallery and the site records of the preparatory works for the installation of the bridging plates that started on 24/04/26.
Q6. You requested a copy of any penalties that Amey are subject to if they do not complete works within a publicly stated period.
A6. The NMC SW contract measures and monitors the Operating Company performance through the use of Performance Indicators, Monitoring Indicators and Payment Adjustment Factors (PAFs).
There are a number of PAFs set out within the NMC SW contract. These cover a variety of activities, however the relevant PAFs in this case would be:
29 - timely upload of construction phase plans; Percentage of Construction Phase Plans uploaded to AMPS at least 7 days in advance of the construction start date. 30 - timely upload of health and safety files; Percentage of Final Health and Safety Files uploaded to AMPS within 30 days of the construction end date.
These PAFs are calculated on a percentage of average price for core operations.
Additional financial penalties could also be incurred related to "early start" of roadworks - i.e. the booking of lane closures and carriageway closures without the required contractual lead in times.
Due to the size of the files we are unable to upload the documents referred to above.
If you wish to consider, please contact us at the address below and we will be happy to provide.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
Detected exemption language
We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA. This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. An exception under Regulation 10(5)(e) of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 applies to some of the information you have requested.
Attachments
No attachments found.