The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Delight as safety work starts at A9 danger junction
Barriers and signs for stretch where man died in three-car pile-up
CAMPAIGNERS have welcomed longawaited safety works at a notorious north junction where a man died in a horror crash last year.
A £30,000 package of improvements will get under way on a stretch of the A9 Inverness to Thurso road today.
A 63-year-old man died in a threecar pile-up at the troubled Skiach junction in Easter Ross last summer, intensifying calls for safety upgrades.
Councillor Mike Finlayson said: “Anything that will help safety at this junction will be very good and we are thankful this work is beginning.
“This has been a long term concern of the community, and it is something that is going to improve matters.”
After the current two-week programme, further enhancements will be added with new road signs being installed.
Highlands and Islands MSP David Stewart, a long time road safety campaigner, voiced hopes that the scheme could prevent further crashes.
He said: “It is a tragedy when someone loses their life in a car accident and my thoughts go to the family and friends of man who died there last year and to those injured.
“However, it’s good to see this essential project going ahead with new safety barriers and signs and I do hope that this will prevent serious accidents in the future.”
Workers will begin a £30,000 scheme to boost safety at a notorious north junction today.
New safety barriers will be created at the Skiach junction, which has become an accident hotspot on the A9 Inverness to Thurso road.
Existing barriers will also be enhanced where the A9 meets the B9176 Struie road.
A 63-year-old man died at the spot last July following a three-car crash and residents have been campaigning for new safety measures to prevent more fatalities.
Over the course of the coming months, further enhancements on the junction will be undertaken, with new road signs being installed.
Work to install the barriers is expected to last for two weeks.
Last night campaigners welcomed the works and said it had been a dangerous spot for “far too long”.
Councillor Mike Finlayson said: “Anything that will help safety at this junction will be very good and we are thankful this work is beginning. This has been a long-term concern of the community and it is something that is going to improve matters.
“We will keep a close eye on progress but I am hopeful this will make a difference.”
Caithness, Sutherland and Ross MSP Gail Ross said: “For too long it has been an accident blackspot and hopefully these improvements will help to drastically reduce the number of incidents we have seen in the past.”
Highlands and Islands MSP David Stewart, a long time road safety campaigner, added: “It is a tragedy when someone loses their life in a car accident and my thoughts go to the family and friends of man who died there last year and to those injured.
“However, it’s good to see this essential project going ahead with new safety barriers and signs and I do hope that this will prevent serious accidents in the future.”
Eddie Ross, Bear Scotland’s north-west representative, said: “Road safety is a top priority at Bear Scotland and Transport Scotland, and this scheme on the A9 at Skiach is part of our commitment to improving road safety on the trunk road network, ensuring it remains safe and reliable.
“We’ve arranged for these works to take place whilst emerging from the Covid-19 lockdown, when traffic flows are lower. However, our teams will do all they can to complete the project as quickly and as safely as possible.”
Strict physical distancing protocols will be in place to ensure the safety of road workers and motorists during the project.
“We are thankful this work is beginning”