By Claire McCormack and Alan Wilson

COMMUTERS IGNORING diversions put in place while the latest road work in South Marketgait, Dundee, is in progress are exacerbating delays at peak times.

One driver who was making his way from Kingsway East to the Tay Bridge on his way home last night said it took him around 45 minutes to reach the toll booths.

The work involves the 10-day closure of both westbound lanes of South Marketgait at Customs House for the strengthening of the Dock Street rail tunnel. It also entails the closure of the east access ramp to the bridge.

South Marketgait’s eastbound carriageway is not affected.

Police said the diversion along East Marketgait, North Marketgait and South Marketgait was not being adhered to. Many drivers were heading into City Quay and making their way along the back of the Apex Hotel to try to save time.

This caused problems for buses that use City Quay. Some were seen being made to drive on to pavements to make way for oncoming vehicles.

Tayside Police reported “significant delays” and urged drivers to stick to the diversions that have been put in place.

While congestion was expected and will continue, police said that problems were aggravated by drivers failing to follow diversion signs.

Sergeant Wilson Gove of the road policing unit said, “There will inevitably be delays as a result of this ongoing work, but I would implore drivers to pay attention to the temporary road signs and stick to the traffic management system that is in place.

“By trying to find a way around the system they are simply adding time to everyone’s journey.”

Mr Gove added, “Clearly some people were intent on coming through City Quay rather than taking the route around the Marketgait ring road to the road bridge’s west access ramp. This led to snarl-ups at the roundabout under the bridge beyond the Apex Hotel.

“To reiterate—the east access ramp of the Tay Bridge is closed to traffic during this work. The route left from Dock Street into City Quay is for access only. It is not a rat run to rejoin traffic on the Marketgait farther along the route.

“Equally, I would urge people not to turn down from Allan Street towards Dock Street, but to follow the Marketgait ring road to the bridge’s west ramp by Tayside House, as the route towards Dock Street is closed at this time.”

Tayside Police, along with the local authority, Transport Scotland and BEAR Scotland will continue to monitor the contra-flow system in the days ahead.

At the request of Dundee City Council, BEAR Scotland have also tied in some improvements to the trunk road, for which they have responsibility, to avoid further disruption at a later date.

Some drivers, mainly those travelling in from the eastern approaches, reported taking around an hour to get to work yesterday morning.

Other travellers missed their train connections despite allowing 45 minutes to get to Dundee station from Broughty Ferry.

Feeder routes all round the city centre were nose to tail from early in the morning, with traffic backed up as far as Kingsway, Stobswell and Strips of Craigie Road during the morning rush hour.

However, drivers approaching from the west seemed to travel more freely into the centre, with police saying Riverside Drive was fairly clear.

One driver who crossed the city from Kingsway West, travelling up Victoria Road, said traffic was at a standstill from the lights at the bottom of the Hilltown to the top of Albert Street and Dura Street in Stobswell.

A Dundee City Council spokesman said, “We apologise for the disruption but the only safe and practical way of carrying out the installation of a new drainage system, resurfacing and kerbing was to close both lanes.

“Our council officers were trained to deal with the congestion by monitoring traffic flows and the traffic light sequences were altered, where necessary.”