East kilbride expressway closure 2/8/13 diversion

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Anyone else get caught out by the low bridge (15 foot 3 no good for double deck trailers) on the diversion route when the East Kilbride expressway was closed on 2/8/13.

Seems there is road closures every night at the moment and last night was no different, going from Cleland Lanarkshire to East Kilbride for my trailer swap I found the expressway closed at Blantyre. All you have to do is follow the diversion signs - right, ok off we go down in to Blantyre so far so good, after about 10 minutes I realise I don’t actually know where I am but I’m still following diversion signs. Until, what’s this ahead a bridge, no problem, I haven’t seen any bridge height poles yet so that means the bridge is a minimum 16 foot 6, my rig is attached to a double deck trailer 15 foot 9, then I see the small sign attached to the bridge 15 foot 3, AAWW ■■■■, I stop about 100 feet from the bridge hazards on, bugger, stuck on a duel carriageway no way forward or back.
As luck would have it a police van passes so flashing my headlights furiously the van turns around and I’m thinking I’ll get a bollocking here I must have missed a sign they (the council) wouldn’t send big trucks down here would they, wrong, the cop duo couldn’t have been more helpful. They close the duel carraigeway I reverse up the lanes till a gap in the barriers and turn around, and then the cops ■■■■■■ me through a housing estate (pretty tight) around the low bridge and back on to the diversion signs towards East Kilbride and off we go losing about 45 mins in drive time I can still make it, I know the M74 is also closed but I know that diversion like the back of my hand.
On phoning the boss to tell other drivers not to follow the signs but take another main road he says, too late, there’s a queue of drivers stuck there already and they don’t have coppers willing to help, I wonder how much that cost the haulage industry last night due to incompetent council workers.

2

its been the same on the M9 past Stirling this last week or two, diversion through Bridge of Allen… its not funny at the Alloa roundabout when people come to it and see 2 contradicting diversion signs. one pointing left , one pointing right.
then there was J8 to J10 closed last night and J8 to J7 the other night, I don’t go the long way round on that one… its a lot quicker through Larkhall.
they must think we have nothing better to do at night.

3

By the sounds of it, the diversion took you along the A724 towards Cambuslang. I stay not that far away from there and i can back you up about the bridge having no advanced warning signs. The first sign you see is the one next to the bridge. I don’t understand why they would send you that way though, unless the express way was closed all the way up to EK. There are plenty of ways they could have sent you that would have been fine for a decker.

Do you work for Pegasus?

4

The expressway was closed all the way up.

5

rorymotorbiker:
The expressway was closed all the way up, and yes.

The bit about Clelland gave it away for me. Don’t know of any other transport companies from there. Is that the depot you are based at?

6

cover blown lol

7

rorymotorbiker:
cover blown lol

Nowhere to hide round here!:wink: You must come into our place quite often. We give you 2 full deckers every night. One for Inverness and one for Aberdeen I think. Let’s see if you can guess who I work for!:lol:

8

South Lanarkshire council you got to love them ,not …Run a council?? they couldn’t run a bath

9

co-op

10

MMMMM lets see now, I’m guessing there’s nout as fast as bullet!!!

11

rorymotorbiker:
MMMMM lets see now, I’m guessing there’s nout as fast as bullet!!!

10/10 to you!:smiley: