DRIVERS on the A76 in East Ayrshire are facing weeks more disruption after a delay to the completion of months of roadworks in the area.

Work on the southbound carriageway of the trunk road at the Howford Bridge, north of Mauchline, was due to have been finished on Friday, April 14, according to road maintenance firm Amey.

But drivers in the area were left confused on Saturday morning when they saw the roadworks still in place - with no explanation provided at the time.

Amey now says that "adverse weather" is to blame for the latest delay in completion of the work.

 

The company now says the work will be completed by Friday, May 5 - three weeks later than originally planned.

Southbound carriageway works began on Monday, February 27, following preparatory works a few weeks earlier.

Similar work on the northbound carriageway at the bridge was carried out before Christmas.

Work is now under way once again to complete the repairs, with temporary traffic lights in place.

The roadworks along the busy stretch of the route have been continually described as a "nightmare" by road users.

Drivers have been faced with on-and-off temporary lights on the bridge for this current work since last year, when investigations were carried out due to drainage issues being identified on the structure.

A spokesperson for Amey said: "Ongoing maintenance on the A76 at Howford Bridge has been extended with a new completion date of Friday, May 5, 2023.

"Adverse weather in March 2023 impacted the ability to deliver waterproofing elements of the repairs, which has led to this extension. 

"We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause."