A93 road collapse
Council stresses A93 damage is not due to sinkhole
Perth and Kinross Council has said they are working to fix the collapsed road in Blairgowrie town centre “as soon as possible”.
A large hole appeared in the busy A93 road by the Wellmeadow on Friday evening, leading locals to speculate that it was a sinkhole.
However, a spokesperson for the local authority stressed on Monday that it was not a sinkhole, which is caused by natural erosion, and that it was due to the collapse of two largediameter pipes underneath the road.
The road, which is one of the main tourist routes in the area, has been closed since Friday evening, and concerns have been raised regarding the possible impact of the closure on the Braemar Day celebrations at the Wellmeadow on Saturday and for visitors to the town’s Highland Games on Sunday in what is one of the busiest weekends of year for Blairgowrie.
Local councillor for Blairgowrie and Glens, Caroline Shiers, has written to Perth and Kinross Council depute chief executive Jim Valentine asking for repairs to be carried out on the road, which is also the main route for the Braemar Day parades, as soon as possible.
In her email she states: “I note diversions are in place but obviously this will be disruptive to businesses and residents so as quick a resolution as possible so normal service can continue is important.
“This weekend is the Braemar Gathering and the A93 is always much busier with through traffic.
“It is also a big day in Blairgowrie with Braemar Day on Saturday and roadworks in the town centre will pose a problem for the parades so hopefully the roadworks can be completed as soon as possible.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the council said: “The council were alerted to an issue with the road at the Wellmeadow in Blairgowrie on Friday.
“We are aware this was being described in the media at the weekend as a sinkhole, however, I can confirm that this is not the case.
“We removed the road surface to investigate the situation and uncovered two large diameter pipes which are broken, one of which belongs to us and the other to Scottish Water.
“The road is currently closed so that we can further investigate the site alongside Scottish Water and we will be working with them to fix the issue as soon as possible.
“Alternative arrangements will be made to try and get the traffic at the Wellmeadow working as normally as possible if the required works are not able to be completed in time for the event in the town at the weekend.”
Local councillor Tom McEwan added: “The quick identification on Monday morning of the problem by Tayside Contracts should result in both Scottish Water and the council promptly repairing the two burst pipes and lastly the road surface so that the events planned for Braemar Day can go ahead uninterrupted.”