CONSTITUTION Street will be the next major city road to close as part of construction work for Edinburgh's £498 million tram line.
Tram firm TIE was today set to release full details of the temporary closure, which will mean diversions for traffic and a number of bus services in Leith.
It is understood that work will get under way at the end of this month and will take place
in sections to ensure the full street does not have to close.
The road is expected to reopen to traffic again later this year but the long-term plan is to close part of Constitution Street and allow access for buses and trams only.
The closure plans come just days after a five-month closure of Shandwick Place and a series of traffic diversions got under way.
Despite predictions of chaos, the diversions have worked reasonably well during the first few days and transport chiefs are hoping for the same with the Leith works. Local councillor Gordon Munro said: "It is a temporary closure and it is good that it is in sections rather than the whole street.
"The pressure will be on TIE to keep to its schedules because there are a number of places, such as the Kirkgate House or St Mary's Church, which are effectively landlocked without Constitution Street."
As first predicted in the News in July last year, the narrow southern part of Constitution Street will be closed to general traffic to make space for the trams.
Sara Morgan, manager of Carolyn Designer Florist at the Foot of the Walk end of Constitution Street, said she was really worried. She said: "The people from TIE have been really good at letting us know what is going on but it doesn't take away from the fact that this will hurt us.
"We have the big lorries bringing in deliveries from Holland, plus all our deliveries for funerals so there is a constant flow of vehicles to and from the shop. There is also the passing trade which I think will be affected."
Willie Gallagher, executive chairman of TIE, said Constitution Street was an "integral part of the tram route".
He added: "We will be announcing the detail of that work and consulting with residents and businesses in due course."
Commuters, residents and traders in Leith Walk have already been given a flavour of the sort of disruption over the last six months.
Since August, Leith Walk has been the subject of lane closures and lengthy tailbacks at rush-hour as utility diversion works got under way on the busy street.
Details of the remaining tram disruption, which is likely to include a complete temporary closure of Princes Street, and the final design of the tram route, are set to be released in April – two months later than planned.
The chaos expected as a result of the closure of Shandwick Place has so far failed to materialise. Saturday's Calcutta Cup rugby match at Murrayfield is now expected to be the first big test of the diversions.
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