Edinburgh City Bypass crash: A720 fully reopens to traffic after 17-hour carriageway closure

The eastbound and westbound carriageway between Hermiston Gait and Dreghorn has reopened to traffic following a crash shortly before 9pm last night (November 11).

In an update issued at 2.50pm, Traffic Scotland said: “The A720 has fully reopened in both directions between Hermiston and Dreghorn. Congestion remains heavy on surrounding routes in Edinburgh.”

Details of the crash have not yet been confirmed by authorities, but Police Scotland had warned motorists of disruption and a lengthy road closure in an update issued overnight.

A Scottish Ambulance Service also said in a statement: “We received a call at 21:07 to attend a road traffic collision on A720 Edinburgh City Bypass. We dispatched an ambulance, a critical care paramedic (CCP), a special operations response team (SORT), and a paramedic response unit (PRU) to the scene.”

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Drivers in the city were subjected to heavy delays on Thursday morning, with long tailbacks in the west and south of the city having a knock-on effect across other parts of Edinburgh.

Lothian Buses also warned of knock-on disruption to services as a result of the closure. The bus company said in a service update: “Due to the closure of the City Bypass between Hermiston and Dreghorn services are being delayed across the network.”

While the eastbound carriageway has reopened, there is a warning that drivers may still feel disruption during the evening rush-hour.

Edinburgh Travel News said in an update: “Please prepare for these delays to affect travel for the evening peak.”