Drivers in Fife face motoring chaos as major sections of some of Scotland’s busiest roads are closed for the weekend.
There are fears that Central Scotland could descend into gridlock as a huge section of the A90 and M90 are shut to allow for work on the Forth Replacement Crossing.
It coincides with essential maintenance work on the Forth Road Bridge, which will see it open only for local access from Saturday night until Monday morning, prompting fears of huge delays in the surrounding communities.
But the pain will start earlier for some motorists, when a major section of the A92 is sealed off tonight between Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy until Monday.
Transport Scotland is warning drivers to avoid the road bridge at all costs, claiming that delays are “inevitable” and that journeys should only be made if absolutely necessary.
Steven Brown, the agency’s roads and infrastructure manager, said: “Considerable delays are expected in the vicinity of the Forth during these closures and diversion routes will also be very busy.”
The works, starting from 8pm on Saturday and running until 6am on Monday, marks the start of three weekends of disruption to allow for the demolition of the B8000 bridge, which crosses over the A90 south of the Echline Junction.
Diversion routes to cross the Forth for A90 traffic travelling south and north will be via the M9, Kincardine Bridge and the A985.
Diversion routes for traffic travelling north from Edinburgh will be via the M8 and M9 to Kincardine Bridge.
Meanwhile, the northbound section of the A92 between Kirkcaldy’s Redhouse roundabout and the Bankhead roundabout at Glenrothes is shut from 7.30pm tonight to 6.30am on Monday.
The route, which is used by 16,000 vehicles daily, will undergo £320,000 resurfacing works.
All northbound traffic will leave the A92 at Chapel junction and be diverted via the B981, B922 and B921 before rejoining at Bankhead.
Andy Thompson, BEAR Scotland’s North East Unit representative, said: “The resurfacing has been scheduled to minimise delays as much as possible, however, we encourage motorists to plan their journeys in advance and allow some extra time to reach their destination.”
There is some good news for drivers, however. Work on the A92 southbound slip road at Crossgates has been postponed.
A £110,000 resurfacing programme was due to begin on Sunday, which would have seen the offslip closed for five nights between 7.30pm and 6.30am.
BEAR Scotland said the project will now take place in November, with dates being assessed.
More information will be issued once the new schedule is confirmed.
For traffic updates throughout the weekend visit www.trafficscotland.org or on Twitter @trafficscotland.