Winchburgh pupils gain exclusive entry to new M9 motorway junction

As the new M9 motorway junction at Winchburgh nears completion after ten months of complex engineering and construction work, Winchburgh Academy pupils have become the first members of public to set foot on the newly built, major transport link.

Located adjacent to the historic Duntarvie Castle, the new M9 Winchburgh junction will provide commuters and day trippers with an alternative faster route into Winchburgh Village and across to the Queensferry crossing on the east side and Glasgow, Stirling and Falkirk to the west. The motorway junction and supporting transport network form a key part of Winchburgh’s masterplan delivery including: the Beatlie Road and bridge upgrade, town centre core road and streets, canal overbridge, eastern distributor road to Kirkliston, and railway overbridge. This equates to over £50 million of investment over a three-year period.

As the village grows in phases from a population of around 2,400 to c. 14,000 in the next decade, completion of this core infrastructure alongside new homes, education, retail, award winning parks, and leisure facilities has been key to the ongoing successful delivery of Winchburgh’s masterplan.

Speaking at the Winchburgh Academy visit, Allan Donnelly, said:

“RJ McLeod had already introduced these young people to the works at Winchburgh with a virtual site visit when they were in P7. We knew they were excited to tour the site and meet some of our key personnel face to face. The feeling was mutual. Our aim is to support their education in STEM subjects and inspire these S1s, to set goals now, that will help them transition into further education and careers in Civil Engineering.”

The visit is the first of a series of onsite trips and information sessions for the school children as part of a 16 week ‘Developing Winchburgh’ schools programme. Launched two weeks ago during Scottish Careers Week, the workshops form part of the National Curriculum giving pupils the chance to learn from the live site, providing practical insights into what it takes to work in the jobs required to deliver a vast masterplan like Winchburgh’s. The pupils are being exposed to a variety of skilled experts across the industry including architects, lawyers, designers and planners, with this week’s focus on civil engineering.

John Hamilton, Chief Executive of Winchburgh Developments, said:

“The completion of construction on the M9 junction marks a momentous step forward in connecting Winchburgh to the rest of the surrounding routes across Scotland’s central belt. The fact that Winchburgh Academy pupils have been the first members of public to visit the site feels particularly special. Thank you to RJ McLeod for making this happen.”

Key stats on the construction of the new junction and surrounding infrastructure:

• Four new slip roads.
• Two new roundabouts.
• Culvert (waterway) over swine burn.
• 400,000 tonnes of earthworks – equating to 20,000 lorry trips to create 10 metre high and 300m long bunds to be re-used for landscaping across the site.
• A new large-scale, innovative drainage network incorporating both buried pipes, swales and new suds facilities. This will reduce flood risk, enhance water quality and in turn, biodiversity.
• New and improved water mains on the site.

Full list of companies taking part in the ‘Developing Winchburgh’ Schools Partnership: Winchburgh Developments Ltd, Pinsent Masons, CALA Homes East, Ramboll, Open Optimised Environments, PMR Leisure, ESD / Scottish Water, I & H Brown, Scottish Water, RJ McLeod, and PPCA town planning.

Next week will feature workshops on Planning and Public Relations. Follow the story online #ScotCareersWeek22