Bridge work traffic chaos fears
THE PROPOSED closure of a swing bridge in Lochaber in the new year will see disruptions to a busy main road once again.
One lane on the A830 at the Banavie swing road will be closed for nine weeks from the middle of January 2016.
The road has already been partially closed twice this year causing drivers lengthy tailbacks and delays.
In April, the bridge was closed for four weeks for road resurfacing and then, later in the summer, the road was closed off while an upgrade to a power cable at Camaghael was under way.
In January the work carried out will be to repaint the steel bridge. A spokesperson from BEAR Scotland said: ‘The steel section of the bridge is showing signs of corrosion therefore repainting is required, which will protect the steelwork for years to come.’
The proposal is in its early stages and will not go to public consultation until November this year when it is expected the details will be finalised.
Kilmallie Community Council member, Christine Hutchison, had been unaware of the pending proposal until the Oban Times contacted her.
Mrs Hutchison said: ‘It is a real pity local residents are going to have disruptions, yet again, on their commutes to and from work and schools.
‘There are going to be disrup- tions to local and the Mallaig bus services as well, although I am sure the bus companies will have their own timescales for the notice they receive. As long as the community council has more than two months notice, we will have time to consider it, but I don’t think we are going to be able to avoid it.
‘All we can say is that we advise people to plan ahead of their journeys and allow plenty of time for the delays when the work starts.’
Bill Clark, Highland councillor for Caol and Mallaig, said: ‘Any work on roads is going to cause some disruption, however I hope they take into account traffic pressure points on the road and work around those times as best they can.
‘BEAR has to take those on board or we are all in trouble. I won’t get to work and half of the population of Lochaber won’t get to work.’
The spokeswoman for BEAR Scotland added: ‘ We anticipate the essential maintenance work will be carried out over nine weeks, Mondays to Fridays and during the day with no work planned at weekends.
‘The bridge will not be closed to motorists. However, for the safety of those working on the bridge and road users, a lane closure will be in place under temporary traffic light control.
‘ We’ll be carrying out these works during the winter when the canal is closed to boat traffic and will ensure all steps are taken to minimise disruption to motorists as much as possible during the essential works.’