Scottish Water has issued an apology after unexpected roadworks on a key route between Greenock and Port Glasgow caused ‘nightmare’ congestion for motorists this week.
Drivers reported waits of over an hour as they were caught in heavy tailbacks on Tuesday after work got underway on the A8 at Port Glasgow Road near its junction with Pottery Street.
Cones and temporary traffic lights were set up as Scottish Water staff carried out an essential repair on a cracked manhole cover.
READ MORE: Sudden roadworks cause lengthy delays on A8 in Inverclyde
Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan - like many of his constituents - was affected by the disruption and has now contacted Scottish Water to demand answers about how the works were handled.
He told the Telegraph: “I was personally caught up in the traffic chaos that engulfed Greenock on Tuesday due to emergency works on the A8 at Pottery Street.
“At first, I assumed there was a road traffic incident, but later discovered it was due to issues with a manhole which meant Scottish Water had to take immediate and unplanned action.
“Whilst of course I understand the need for this work to take place to ensure the safety of drivers, the lack of signage and communication about this was frustrating.
“The queues were significantly worse compared to when the flooding works were taking place, and given how recently these were concluded, it begs the question why issues with this manhole weren’t discovered during that period?
“I’ve contacted Scottish Water asking this specific question as I feel this nightmare could have been avoided had Scottish Water checked these elements before reopening the A8 after the flooding improvement works were finished.”
The same stretch of road was recently subject to restrictions for more than a year as Scottish Water carried out a £2.5million project to tackle flooding on the A8.
The project started in January last year, with work taking place on both sides of the carriageway before being completed in February this year.
In response to Mr McMillan’s comment, a Scottish Water spokesperson said: “Emergency work is exactly that and disruption is sometimes unavoidable.
“However, we will learn any lessons from what happened in Greenock and can only apologise for the delays that were caused.”
Were you caught up in Tuesday's traffic disruption on the A8?
We're looking to hear more from people who were caught up in the heavy tailbacks which built up on the A8 last Tuesday. Send us your story.
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