MOTORISTS travelling on one of West Fife's major routes will encounter roadworks over four nights that begin this weekend.

Surfacing improvements worth £130,000 will begin on Sunday evening on the hard shoulder of the southbound M90 near Kelty.

The work will address defects in the surface on the hard shoulder between the village and Blairadam, which BEAR Scotland, who manage and maintain trunk roads in the north east, south east and north west of Scotland on behalf of Transport Scotland, say will ensure that the "integrity and safety of this part of the network remains at the highest level".

Beginning Sunday - although no work will take place on Tuesday May 17 - the improvements will be made between 7.30pm and 6.30am each night, and are expected to be completed by next Friday (May 20), subject to weather conditions.

The hard shoulder, which will also shut outwith working hours, and nearside lane will be closed during working hours, whilst a 50mph speed restriction will also be in place to ensure motorist and roadworker safety.

Ian Stewart, BEAR Scotland’s North East Unit Representative, said: "This £130,000 investment from Transport Scotland will greatly improve and strengthen this section of the M90, as well as create a smoother and safer journey for motorists.

"We’ve taken steps to minimise disruption for motorists as much as possible during the improvements, including carrying out the works at night.

"The traffic management programmed is essential for ensuring the safety of our workforce as well as motorists, however our teams will work as quickly and as safely as possible to complete the scheme as programmed.

"We thank motorists for their patience in advance while our teams carry out these essential improvements on the M90. We encourage road users to plan their journeys in advance by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up to date traffic information and allow some extra time to reach their destination."

Real-time journey planning information can be obtained by visiting www.trafficscotland.org, twitter at @trafficscotland, or via the mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.