End in sight for Levenmouth roads misery as Bawbee Bridge and Methilhill works to end

Two major sets of Levenmouth roadworks are about to be lifted, bringing months of travel misery to an end.

A temporary replacement for the Bawbee Bridge over the River Leven has finally been slid into place ahead of its opening at the start of May.

👀 Now there's something you don't see every day.

We've slid a temporary bridge over the River Leven, ahead of work to demolish and rebuild the town's old, weight-restricted A955 rail (Bawbee) bridge.

ℹ️ https://t.co/qMIxDjGWxz @LevenReconnect @transcotland @FifeCouncil pic.twitter.com/QTHaxWH4ly

— Network Rail Scotland (@NetworkRailSCOT) April 12, 2023

And Main Street, Methilhill, will reopen this Friday, a week earlier than planned, as drainage works finish there.

Levenmouth SNP councillor John O’Brien said drivers would be breathing a huge sigh of relief.

“This is good news,” he said.

“People have been cracking up with all these roadworks and they have caused lots of traffic jams.

“But at last, the end is in sight.”

Long tailbacks due to Levenmouth roadworks

Fife Council was criticised for imposing a three-week closure in Methilhill at the same time as the Bawbee Bridge works.

The decision to begin sewage works meant two main routes into and out of Levenmouth were both closed.

And this led to long tailbacks on other routes, including Percival Road.

The Main Street closure was to allow council workers to lay sewer pipes to serve the new Levenmouth Business Park being built near Buckhaven.

However, after digging a trench workmen discovered other pipes there, which brought the work to a halt.

They are now in the process of refilling the trench and hope to have the road reopened on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the council will need to find another way to serve the new business park.

Temporary bridge almost ready

At the Bawbee Bridge, three-way traffic lights have been in place since June.

Network Rail have now revealed a temporary bridge capable of supporting 18,000 vehicles a day is almost ready to open.

This will divert traffic away from the Bawbee Bridge, which will be demolished and then rebuilt.

The work is part of the wider Levenmouth rail project, which should be complete next year.

The temporary bridge will be in place for eight months and the traffic lights will be removed by the start of May.