Swallow Roundabout roadworks: All you need to know as major Dundee project gets under way

Key details including closures, diversion routes and what changes to expect at the junction.

By Kieran Webster

June 28 2024, 1:30pm

The roadworks are getting under way at the Swallow Roundabout. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson

Major roadworks are getting under way at the Swallow Roundabout in Dundee on Monday (July 1).

The junction – where Kingsway West meets the A90 from Perth, the A85 Riverside Avenue and Dykes of Gray Road – will undergo a major upgrade to help accommodate hundreds of new homes at Western Gateway.

Developer Springfield Properties is overseeing the project.

Here is all you need to know about the Swallow Roundabout roadworks, which will affect drivers in both Dundee and Perthshire for the next year.

When are the Swallow Roundabout roadworks taking place.

Preparation work began on June 17 but the roadworks get under way properly on Monday July 1.

A finish date has not been announced but the work will run until summer 2025.

What changes will be made to the Swallow Roundabout?

A design for the new-look roundabout has been approved by Transport Scotland and Dundee City Council.

A graphic showing the roundabout plans. — How the remodelled Swallow Roundabout will look, including extra lanes for traffic arriving from Perth in the south and Aberdeen in the north. Image: Springfield Group

The following changes will be made:

A lane added to the approach of the junction from Perth on the A90, for a left turn towards Dykes of Gray/Liff
A new lane added from Dykes of Gray towards the A90 northbound
Traffic lights added on all approach roads to the roundabout
A set of lights on approach to the roundabout from Dundee, providing controlled pedestrian access at the roundabout itself

Dozens of trees have already been removed to make space for the changes.

Why is the work taking place?

The work is required as part of a planning condition for the construction of homes at Western Gateway.

Parts of the development could only go ahead if the roundabout was upgraded to accommodate the extra traffic.

The work had been due to start much earlier than now, but it stalled due to a wrangle over a strip of land.

A “path to nowhere” built in 2023 ensured planning permission on the land would not expire before the project began.

A sign warning drivers about the roadworks. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson

What road closures, diversions and disruption will there be?

From Monday July 1, both Riverside Avenue and Dykes of Gray Road will be shut at the Swallow Roundabout overnight (7pm-7am) on weekdays for 11 months with diversions in place.

Traffic will be diverted as follows:

Riverside Avenue – via Kingsway, onto Myrekirk Road and then South Road, along Explore Road and down Apollo Way to meet Riverside Avenue (same in reverse).

The diversion for Riverside Avenue. Image: Springfield/Google Maps

Dykes of Gray Road – via Kingsway West, Wester Gourdie Industrial Estate and Liff Road (same in reverse).

The diversion for Dykes of Gray Road. Image: Springfield/Google Maps

Also from Monday July 1, the outside lane on the Kingsway will be shut at the Swallow Roundabout overnight between 7pm and 7am daily for one week

Other restrictions or closures affecting the Kingsway have yet to be confirmed.