Landslip-hit road closed for winter
Repairs on shoreline route
A road along the north shoreline of Loch Katrine has been closed to allow for repairs following the landslides there three months ago.
It has been shut for the winter so owners Scottish Water can carry out repair work.
A section of the road, from Stronachlachar to Portnellan, was re-opened on an interim basis to cyclists and walkers at weekends only from October 5, weather permitting.
The route is not normally used as a public road for cars.
However, that interim arrangement has now come to an end as the regular sailing season has finished and, from now, the section of road will continue to be closed seven days a week for the coming months.
There were a total of 19 landslides during severe weather in early August, leaving Scottish Water with a complex repair job.
More than 2500 tonnes of material has been removed from the roads to date.
Scottish Water’s corporate affairs manager Ruaridh MacGregor said: “Our work so far has involved 23 road repairs, five bridge repairs, seven culvert repairs, the clearance of material from around six affected properties and the clearance and reinstatement of numerous watercourses.
“However, many of the repairs carried out since the landslides occurred are temporary and permanent repairs are required.
“We are closing the road seven days a week from now to enable this additional work to progress and because the road is used much less frequently outside the sailing season on Loch Katrine, so the closure should minimise the impact on businesses.”
He added: “We fully appreciate that the closure of this section of the road since early August – and since October 5 on weekdays – has been a significant inconvenience to local residents, businesses and visitors.
“However, we believe the interim re-opening of the road at weekends from October 5 helped affected businesses and we hope road users and other stakeholders understand that we now need to keep the road closed to cyclists and walkers every day of the week for the coming months to enable us to progress with the additional work in the area.”