Contractors for City of Edinburgh council have begun to re-lay thousands of original granite setts along the historic Royal Mile in a one-year scheme to rebuild the road surface without sacrificing the character of the high street.
Land Engineering is reusing as many of the cobblestones as possible in the £1.5M contract between the George IV Bridge and North Bridge after lifting, cleaning and re-cutting each one to a standard depth. But the council has steeled itself to meet up to £430,000 in extra costs as about 20% of the cobbles may have to be replaced with new setts.
It plumped for reuse in order to maintain the ‘organic character’ of the Old Town and the street’s status as part of a World Heritage Site.
Traffic diversions are in place throughout the duration of the contract, which began in January and is due to be completed by next February. But a temporary blacktop surface has allowed continued access to shops and other businesses.
The Royal Mile from George IV Bridge through North Bridge to St Mary’s Street was upgraded in a separate contract completed 10 years ago but the council is taking legal action against the designers and contractors after progressive failure of the carriageway.
While the current scheme is underway – protected from the weather by a white tent – the authority is taking the opportunity to improve pedestrian priority with new rising bollards and extending a section of raised carriageway.
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