Local authority planners claim roads will cope with the fleet of HGVs a supermarket giant’s new distribution depot will bring.
Asda’s £38 million centre officially opens its doors in Grangemouth on Wednesday, November 21.
But concerns have been raised about the amount of traffic already coming and going from the site, which has entrances on the town’s Earls Road and Forth and Clyde Way.
One Earls Road business owner, who did not want to be named, told The Falkirk Herald the depot had already had a negative effect on his daily routine.
He said: “It’s not even open yet and it takes me about half-an-hour longer just to get to and from work.”
However, this week Falkirk Council stated measures were already in place to handle the traffic - as many as 500 HGV deliveries a day.
A council spokesman said: “The impact of the development will be catered for by improvements at the M9 Junction 6 off ramp and Earls Gate interchange.
The improvements were identified when the council was preparing its Local Plan and looked at all the development sites in the Grangemouth area.
“The majority of staff will be on a shift system and will arrive and depart off-peak, when roads are less busy, via Glensburgh Road and Forth Clyde Way.
“There will be an additional 15 vehicles in and 15 vehicles out per hour via Earls Road over a 24-hour period.”
According to Falkirk Council, Asda contributed nearly £400,000 towards works to improve the road junctions in the vicinity of the site.
Earlier this month Asda said the depot, which will create 90 jobs and secured hundreds more, would not result in a significant increase in traffic.
A spokesman said: “All colleagues, suppliers and Asda deliveries created by the old depot in West Mains are simply moving to the new one and they will previously have used the Earls Gate roundabout.
“The depot shift change patterns are also out of rush hour traffic times.”
Locals, including Grangemouth Community Council, have had concerns about traffic levels since August last year, when it was announced Asda would be building the depot on the former ICI Social Club site.
Councillor Robert Spears said the opening of the depot would bring traffic “chaos” to an already under-pressure road network.
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