Long-awaited A77 Maybole bypass officially opens

A multi-million pound bypass which promised to divert heavy traffic away from the centre of a South Ayrshire town has been opened.

Work on the new A77 Maybole road began in May 2019 and cost £29m.

Locals were the first to drive on the five kilometre carriageway after Scotland's Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth declared it open.

The A77, which links Glasgow and the port town of Cairnryan, had run through Maybole's high street.

Now the bypass has opened it is expected that traffic -10% of which is made up of heavy goods vehicles heading to and from the ferry terminal at Cairnryan - will put less strain on Maybole's road network.

Ms Gilruth said: "The local community can now look forward to improved air quality and road safety, making the town centre a safer and more pleasant place to live and work.

"This new section of the A77 will also provide better journey time reliability for motorists and businesses accessing Scotland's main port at Cairnryan."

Wills Bros Civil Engineering was awarded the contract to build the bypass.

Project manager John Stephens said the company's staff and subcontractors had "worked extremely hard to overcome the various challenges to achieve completion of the project".

He added: "We are also grateful to the local community of Maybole for their patience and continuing support during the construction phase of the project.

"We hope the A77 Maybole Bypass will provide a positive impact for road users and residents of Maybole and surrounding areas."

As traffic now makes use of the new road, contractors will remain on site for the time being to tackle snagging and seasonal landscaping.