Galafoot Bridge Eastbound Closes October 5

BEAR Scotland, working for Transport Scotland, starts deck refurbishment on Galafoot Bridge on the A6091 on the night of Sunday, 4 October 2026. From Monday, 5 October, the bridge stays open westbound only for six to ten weeks, while 14 overnight closures shut both directions between 20:00 and 06:00. The BEAR Scotland notice dated 24 September is the controlling calendar for anyone driving between Galashiels, Tweedbank, and Melrose.

This is a dated route change, not a vague Borders delay. Eastbound cars add about 3.9 miles via the A7 and B6360. Coaches, motorhomes, and HGVs get a longer signed loop through Selkirk. The National reported the same eastbound shutdown on 26 September. Anyone using Galashiels as a day trip from an Edinburgh hotel base should add that loop before the return drive.

Eastbound Traffic Leaves the Bridge on 5 October

Galafoot Bridge carries the A6091 over the River Tweed south of Galashiels. From 5 October it becomes a one-way westbound trunk road while crews replace failed waterproofing, resurface the deck and footpaths, repair concrete, raise parapets, and work underneath. BEAR Scotland says that one-way pattern lasts six to ten weeks, depending on weather and how much concrete work they find once the surface is off.

Westbound drivers still use the bridge in daylight and most evenings. Eastbound drivers do not. If your hotel, station, or castle stop sits east of the Tweed, you are on the diversion from the first Monday. Do not wait for a local radio update to discover that the eastbound lane is already gone.

Tweedbank station sits on the east side of this pinch. A taxi or hire car from Galashiels to the station after 5 October is an eastbound trip and should use the signed A7 and B6360 loop, not the closed deck. Build that extra 10 to 15 minutes into a Borders Railway connection rather than cutting it against the old clear-road timetable.

Overnight Full Closures Hit 14 Nights

Both directions close from 20:00 to 06:00 on 4, 5, 6, and 22 October, then 8, 9, 12 through 18, and 29 November. That is 14 nights, not a rolling dusk-to-dawn shutdown. The first three nights stack at the start of the job, so anyone arriving for a Borders weekend on 4 October should treat the bridge as closed after 8 p.m.

Emergency services keep access over the bridge at all times. Ordinary traffic does not. If you are catching an early Borders Railway train from Tweedbank, or returning to Edinburgh after dinner in Melrose, those listed nights are the ones that force the long loop. Put them in the calendar before you book a late table.

How the Signed Diversions Split Cars and HGVs

Most eastbound vehicles leave Kingsknowe Roundabout, take the A7 south, then the B6360 north to Tweedbank Roundabout. BEAR Scotland estimates 3.9 extra miles. To keep the narrow B6360 moving, a one-way system will run on the B6360 between the A7 and Abbotsford House. Traffic coming from the A6091 that needs that stretch will be sent south on the A7 first, then north on the B6360.

Eastbound HGVs cannot use that short loop. They go A7 south to Selkirk, then A699, A68, and A6091 to Tweedbank. During the 14 overnight full closures, westbound trunk traffic is signed from Tweedbank Roundabout via the A6091 eastbound, A68 south, A699 west, and A7 north back to Kingsknowe. Follow the signs that night, not the daytime eastbound car map.

Abbotsford Stays Open, the Car Park Below Does Not

Abbotsford House remains open and reachable from Tweedbank Roundabout on the two-way section of the B6360. That matters for anyone mixing a literary house visit with a Melrose or Galashiels stay. Do not assume the house is cut off because the bridge is one-way. Use the Tweedbank approach, not a sat-nav shortcut across the closed eastbound deck.

From 5 October, half of the Boleside Road car park under the bridge is closed for the duration of the works. Off-peak temporary lights will sit on Boleside Road, and the Black Path immediately below the bridge will close for safety. If you currently park under the span for a Tweed walk, move that stop before the first Monday. Parapet work later brings off-peak lights on the bridge approaches, currently expected from 30 November for about two weeks.

Weather Can Stretch the Six-to-Ten-Week Window

David Bishop, BEAR Scotland South East Bridges Manager, said the waterproofing under the surface has failed and must be replaced to stop further damage to the concrete. He also said the six-to-ten-week finish depends on weather and the repairs they uncover. A wet October on the Tweed can push eastbound reopening past a mid-November hotel checkout.

BEAR Scotland is keeping a dedicated project page at bearscot.com/galafoot with maps and any programme changes. Use that page plus Traffic Scotland before a same-day drive. The 24 September notice is the baseline. A later BEAR update on overnight dates or the eastbound end wins over this article.

Older local coverage talked about a July-to-December closure window. BEAR Scotland has already said those dates came from a traffic-order application and do not mean six months of eastbound shutdown. Plan on six to ten weeks from 5 October, then read the live project page if concrete repairs run long.