Monday 18th November will be a key milestone in the work to bring Trams to Newhaven in Edinburgh as that will be the date that phase one of construction starts on Constitution Street. The work here will be split into two sections and in preparation for the start a public information event is due to take place at South Leith Parish Church on Thursday 7th November.
The two sections that work will take place will be from Foot of the Walk to Coatfield Lane (due to be completed by spring 2021) and from Queen Charlotte Street to Constitution Place (due to be finished by autumn 2020). The road will be excavated to allow utility diversions, tracklaying, installation of tram infrastructure, public realm improvements and heritage and archaeology works.
As part of this work the Robert Burns statue on Baltic Street will be temporarily removed – receiving its own restoration works whilst it is away from its usual location – before returning once construction work is completed whilst the South Leith Parish Church wall will be taken down and rebuilt. The memorials on the inner face of the wall will also be removed and protected so they can be reinstated when the wall is rebuilt.
Which gives us a nice segway into the information event on Thursday 7th November which will be taking place at the South Leith Parish Church from 1200 to 1930. A range of team members from infrastructure contractors, Sacyr Farrans Neopul JV, utility diversion and archaeology contractors, Morrison Utility Services, the City of Edinburgh Council and Turner and Townsend (project managers) will be on hand to answer questions from residents and local businesses.
A sure sign work is on the way – a sign informing of the road closure of Constitution Street ahead of the start of work. (Photograph by Roy Calderwood)
It’s unfortunate that like the Phase 1 cconstruction debacle, Airport – York Place, it’s significant that advance warning signs quote a srtart but no end date. Let’s hope it’s not a case of “history” repeating itself !
Big Alasdair