The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Villagers face further delay after road hit by flooding
Perthshire residents cut off when flash floods destroyed a ma in road in August have ben told it will not be fully repaired and reopened until almost Christmas, council chiefs have revealed.
Thunderstorms during the summer accompanied weeks’ worth of rainfall in a matter of hours across Perth and Kin ross, wreaking havoc on roads.
Causing landslips and washing away asphalt, the deluge cut off a handful of communities in and around the Forgandenny area.
Council crews got to work quickly, clearing debris and rebuilding caved- in roads, but one hamlet is still surrounded by roadworks , and residents of Ardargie face a 20-mile detour to access basic services.
The road is not expected to be fully reopened until the middle of December.
Due to the damage to the road, a telecommunications cable needed to be replaced before road repairs could go ahead.
After the flood water subsided , Openreach contractors carried out emergency work to replace underground chambers and duct pipes for cables while the road was closed.
This cable replacement work was completed on November 8, in line with the dates agreed by Openreach and the council.
Almond and Earn councillor Henry Anderson described having to wait a quarter of the year to get the road repaired as “totally unacceptable”.
“A rd argie has been forgotten about. Constituents have to drive an extra 20 miles to get to the shops.
“Fourteen weeks is totally unacceptable.
“Residents need to use the single track roads at Invermay to get anywhere, and forestry operations are running just now.
“The community council are meeting this week and folk are expecting updates.”
Perth and Kinross Council said the only outstanding infrastructure problem caused by the flash floods is at Ardargie.
Local authority bosses say it is anticipated the road will be reopened by mid-December.
Following the floods, mudslides blocked the road between Necessity Brae in Perth and Forteviot, while a sinkhole big enough to swallow a car opened up on the road to Forgandenny’s Network Rail outpost.