Motorists and bus passengers in Perth city centre have been warned to brace themselves for major disruption during a three-week road closure.
From early next month Mill Street, between South Methven Street and Kinnoull Street, will be closed to all traffic for road resurfacing work.
Because it is the main city centre bus stance, councillors are warning the road closure will have a considerable knock-on effect on traffic flow but say the short-term pain will be worth it.
Councillor Peter Barrett said: “Given the subsidence in the paved road surface and the ponding that occurs in bad weather, it is vital that these works are carried out and completed as soon as possible.
“There is likely to be serious inconvenience to passengers and disruption to bus journeys.
“People should allow plenty of additional time for travel and for connections when changing buses.”
Information on the location of temporary bus stops is available on the council website but Mr Barrett said it is currently too difficult to find.
He said: “The information should be just one click away from the council’s home page.
“Navigating to it is far too complicated and I have written to the director of the environment service to get this sorted,” he said.
He also called on bus operators and the council to ensure stop locations are clearly marked and easy to find.
“The temporary stops need to be clearly sign-posted and recognisable for visually-impaired and disabled service users. There is a big job of work to be done.”
Councillor Willie Wilson agreed about the worth of the project, saying: “Although this work will cause major disruption in the city centre it is essential that it is carried out.”
The work starts on Monday April 4 and will take three weeks to complete.
The work will take place between 7am and 5pm Monday to Friday.
Kinnoull Street, High Street and South Street will have parking and loading restrictions during the closure to accommodate the temporary bus stops.
Pedestrian access on the closed section of Mill Street will be maintained during the work.
Picture by Phil Hannah