Councillor Alex Campbell angry at 'unacceptable' Kelty works

At the Cowdenbeath area committee Alex Campbell slammed the situation as "totally and utterly not acceptable" and wants answers after stating the job has caused "massive" tailbacks.

Councillors were told that more than £840,000 is to be spent in 2026-27 on resurfacing four main roads - and while improvements will be welcomed there will be delays while the work is done.

Cllr Campbell, the committee convener, said: "Right now at Kelty junction there are roadworks, I've been there every day this week, and the traffic lights are causing phenomenal tailbacks, they're massive.

"It's creating an issue. What really annoys me is I've passed numerous times and there's no work going on during the day.

"We need to get this better.

"It's a main junction and it's totally and utterly not acceptable, the way that it's working.

"If you could ask your team to get a look at that as quick as you can, and if they can get the contractor to move it as quick as they can.

"And we want to know when it's going to be finished."

Vicki Storrar, lead consultant in roads and lighting asset management, said she would pass on his points to the relevant team.

The carriageway schemes included in the area roads programme for 2026-27 are: B981 Broad Street, from Woodend Place west to the gateway, at a cost of £160,491;

A909, from the north access to Mossmorran to the Beverkae Roundabout, £143,848;

B9097, east of Ballingry, from the ward boundary to the east for 1.2km, £283,581;

B981 Lumphinnans Road / Viewfield Terrace, west of 125 Motion Street to 66 Viewfield Terrace, £252,813.

There are five schemes on the reserve list that may be promoted if, for any reason, the category one projects do not go ahead.

They are at Kirkland Gardens in Ballingry, Stenhouse Street in Cowdenbeath, Bath Street and Black Road in Kelty, and Dunfermline Road in Crossgates.

Cllr Campbell said better communication was needed about when roadworks are to start and finish.

He added: "Cowdenbeath High Street in particular has had nothing but roadworks on it in the last couple of years.

"I'm sure I can speak for the other councillors here that we continuously get it at community councils and from constituents, complaints about the amount of roadworks and not linking them up."

A further £234,030 is to be spent on combined footway and street lighting improvement schemes at Beath View Road, Maxwell Crescent, Dalbeath Crescent and Hillcrest in Cowdenbeath, and Gardiner Street and Mid Street in Lochgelly.

Also in the area roads programme are four road safety and traffic management schemes with a £100,000 budget.

A build-out on the B981 Cardenden Road, near the sheltered housing complex in Cardenden, is estimated at £20,000.

The same amount will be spent on a pedestrian island further along the B981 at Jamphlars Road in Auchterderran, at Bowhill View.

A raised table at the pedestrian crossing outside Lumphinnans Primary School, on Main Street, will come with footway bollards and a cost of £35,000.

And £25,000 of traffic calming measures are planned at Rowan Terrace in Cowdenbeath.

Street lighting improvements and replacements will cost £741,000 in the next financial year with the bulk of the cash - £510,000 - to be spent in the Sinclair drive area of Cowdenbeath.

Upgrades at McLeod Drive and the railway path in the town will cost a further £159,000.

The remainder of the budget, £72,000, is for lighting schemes at Windmill Knowe, Muir Court and Springhill Brae in Crossgates.

Ms Storrar told the committee that some of the steel lighting columns to be replaced in Cowdenbeath date back to the 1970s and are "well beyond their lifespan which is 25 years".