Active travel improvements due to start in Fort William

Preparation works started near Fort William last week, ahead of active travel and road safety improvements, which are set to get under way at two locations on the A830 between the A830/ A82 roundabout and Corpach later this year.

The first project involves 10 nights of advance works next to the A830/B8009 junction and Lochaber High School, with BEAR Scotland preparing to make the cycle paths safer and more accessible.

Preparatory works will be completed by the morning of Friday July 14 and will take place between 7pm and 6am. No works will take place between July 1-8.

There will be lane closures and temporary traffic lights in place each working night and the existing cycle paths will be closed, with alternative routes in place.

The main improvements, taking place later this year, will see BEAR Scotland widening the existing shared-use cycle paths.

The existing signal-controlled junction will also be upgraded to improve journey times in the area and improvements will be made to the road surface and road markings.

At Corpach, planned active travel and road safety improvements will see a new footpath built between Annat Industrial Estate and the entrance to Linnhe Lochside Holidays.

The street lighting will also be extended from Corpach to the holiday park entrance to improve safety and comfort for users of the new footpath.

The street lighting improvements at Corpach will start on Sunday July 23 for six weeks until the morning of Friday September 1.

These works will be completed overnight between 10pm and 6am, with no works on Friday and Saturday nights.

There will be an eastbound lane closure in place each night with temporary traffic lights. The new footpath will be built after the street lighting project is completed, with dates to be confirmed.

The main improvement works at both locations are scheduled to begin after the summer season to avoid disruption during the busy period. There will be off peak day-time lane restrictions and dates will be confirmed closer to the time.

Iain Stewart, BEAR Scotland’s North West representative said: “These works are part of our ongoing commitment to improve safety for vulnerable road users and will see improvements to the existing links for pedestrians and cyclists in the area, as well as improving safety and travel times for drivers.

“The traffic management is essential to keep roadworkers and road users safe during this project as our teams will be working on the verges, however we will do all we can to complete the project as quickly and as safely as possible.

“We encourage road users to plan their journey in advance by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up to date traffic information and allow some extra time to reach their destination.”

Real time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland on www.traffic.gov. scot or twitter @trafficscotland.