Midlothian Council is set to invest almost £1.5 million from developer contributions into improving a section of the A7 corridor to significantly enhance accessibility for walking, wheeling, cycling, and public transport use.

Councillors approved the project to upgrade the stretch of the A7 between the Melville Dykes and Eskbank Road Roundabouts. The work, valued at £1.496 million, will be funded entirely through developer contributions, meaning no direct cost to the council's budget. The project is scheduled to be completed between now and March 2026, with the construction work itself estimated to take approximately 10 weeks.

The planned improvements along this key route include:

• Creation of a 3.5m wide shared use path on the southbound lane from the North Esk Bridge to the Eskbank Road Roundabout.

• Installation of two new Toucan Crossings.

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• Construction of four new bus stops, complete with lay-bys, shelters, and Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) signs where applicable.

• Improvement of 12,000m² of carriageway surface.

• Installation of low energy LED lighting.

• Creation of a 1.5m wide green-blue strip designed to improve drainage, boost biodiversity, and contribute to a boulevard street scene.

• Revision of the speed limit along this upgraded stretch to 30mph.

Midlothian Council's Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Colin Cassidy, expressed strong support for the initiative: "We fully support the proposal to urbanise this stretch of the A7 corridor, much of which has no pavements for pedestrians and is a key route between neighbouring council areas."

He added that the project responds directly to community needs: "We get a lot of community feedback asking for improvements along this stretch which has seen multiple housing developments built up around it in recent years and now needs significant investment to enable active travel and access to public transport for local people."

Midlothian Council clarified that this specific £1.5 million project is separate from a recent public consultation on improving active travel and public transport connections along a wider stretch of the A7. That consultation received responses from 860 people, and a report on its findings will be considered by councillors in the coming months. This wider consultation and concept design work is funded separately by Transport Scotland through the Sustrans Places for Everyone (PfE) programme, and its outcomes will tie in with the work being undertaken on the Melville Dykes to Eskbank Road section.