Edinburgh Airport link road ‘not a priority’
16.12.08
Plans for a new link road to Edinburgh Airport have been shelved, the Scotsman reports. Ministers said last week they would press ahead with projects such as a new Forth road bridge and electrification of the main Edinburgh-Glasgow rail line. But the announcement made no mention of several other initiatives, which now face an uncertain future as they are not considered priorities and are unlikely to receive government funding.
These include a £50-100 million link to Edinburgh Airport from the M8 to ease congestion on the main access road from the A8. BAA, which runs the airport, said it was the only major terminal in Britain without direct trunk road access. It currently handles nine million passengers a year.
A spokesman told the newspaper: ‘The existing Eastfield Road is congested at peak times, a situation that is likely to worsen. The M8 link is one of the most effective ways to improve access to Edinburgh Airport and relieve congestion in the west of Edinburgh.’
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, which has campaigned for the new half-mile link, said the current access route was ‘pathetically inadequate’. However, Transport Scotland's strategic transport projects review said a planned rail interchange at Gogar, linking the tram line to the airport, was more sustainable than a new road.
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