Roads Maintenance

A77 and A78 Trunk Roads

A77 Burnside

The Scottish Government, have commissioned Amey Infrastructure Services (AIS), to carry out design works for A77 BURNSIDE.

The requirement for an overtaking opportunity was identified in the draft Route Action Plan Firm Strategy Report for the A77 : Ayr to Stranraer prepared by South Ayrshire Council and Dumfries and Galloway for the Scottish Government in October 1997.

Substantial improvements are proposed between Dowhill Farm and the Bridgemill improvement at Chapeldonan.

The proposals involve the following

• A northbound right turning lane into Dowhill Shop/Restaurant.
• Reconstruction and widening of the existing road to include metre strips, between Downhill and Dipple.
• Realignment of the bend and dip at Dipple.
• Provision of approximately 2 Km of wide single carriageway road with metre strips between Dunnymuck and Chapeldonan, with around 1 Km of that being a new road in the fields.

South Ayrshire Council comments are:

General

A less extensive version of this scheme was identified and recommended in the draft Route Action Plan Firm Strategy Report for the A77 : Ayr to Stranraer prepared by South Ayrshire Council and Dumfries and Galloway for the Scottish Government in October 1997.

The present A77 follows the cliff line of the raised beach. A recommendation of the RAP was that land take be kept to a minimum to avoid encroachment into the coastal field pattern and retain the visual integrity of the raised beach landscape. It is noted that the agricultural land is of Prime Quality. It is noted that the proposed scheme encroaches into the coastal field pattern.

In general, the works are considered to be of benefit.

Local Plan

South Ayrshire Council’s Planning Section, have responded separately, detailing SAC’s Planning Policies and Constraints.

Biodiversity

Please consider the Ayrshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan which aims include conserving South Ayrshire’s local biodiversity and safeguarding the natural environment. Specific comments can be made on the details of landscaping / biodiversity proposals when they are available.

Lighting

As this is a remote rural area, it is considered that this proposal must not include any road lighting for the reasons listed below.

1. With the correct road markings and advance signing, there would be very little benefit gained from lighting the junctions in this scheme.
2. The additional electrical load associated with any lighting would contribute to the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere.
3. Any lighting would produce "sky-glow" and "light pollution" in an inherently dark area.

Cleansing

Issues that would affect SAC’s cleansing service include

any additional areas of carriageway, footway or verge which will require to be cleansed, and notification of this would be appreciated,

any alteration including the creation or removal of lay-bys –eg SAC would require to remove any euro-bins and enclosure prior to the removal of the lay-by
additional kerbing,
loose stone in edge drainage etc

Environmental Health

Environmental Health request that cognisance be given to the impact any works may have on local residents, ie nuisance from noise, dust or vibration.

Roads Issues

There may require to be further consultation regarding sections of access road to be detrunked, which may become the responsibility of South Ayrshire Council.

At the north end, between Dipple and Dowhill, the alignment is being improved from Dowhill through to Alginate, and in principle this continues the previous policy of such improvements. The existing bend at the Dipple is being completely realigned, rather than being brought up to a similar standard.

At the south end, the existing bends have substandard visibility which could be improved by earthworks, but the proposal is to realign the present road to provide a straight.

There are two junctions in this stretch. It is not apparent what measures are proposed, but there are no indications of right turn lanes, or of service roads.

Between the two ends, the introduction of a considerable straight length of wide single carriageway will certainly increase traffic speeds. There are concerns at the effect of this at the side road junctions and individual accesses.

There are concerns regarding the consistency of the proposed improvements to this route.

It is generally accepted that the route suffers from a lack of safe overtaking opportunities.

At Turnberry, the new 2+1 climbing lane provides dedicated overtaking for northbound traffic, and prohibits southbound overtaking.

At Burnside, the proposal is for a wide single carriageway, allowing opportunistic overtaking.

At Ardwell, with a much smaller traffic flow compared to Burnside, the proposed 2+1 layout provides dedicated overtaking for northbound traffic, and prohibits southbound overtaking.

The proposed works include improvements at the junctions with the unclassified U18, U46, U30 and U49 public roads.

Specific comment on the junction improvements will be made on receipt of road layout, geometry, drainage layout and construction details.

The proposed works appear to include improvements affecting numerous private roads and private accesses. Owners of these roads and accesses should be informed of the SE opinion regarding the position of the boundary between the trunk road and the private road, and the associated maintenance implications.

The proposed works appear to include improvements at the access road opposite the entrance to the Alginate. The status of this road is presently being investigated.