Disruption expected after rockfall shuts Stromeferry bypass

By ALISTAIR MUNRO
Published on 25/12/2012 17:28

A TROUBLE-hit link road which was shut for four months after a landslide has been hit by another rockfall which will cause further disruption.

A trouble-hit link road which was shut for four months after a landslide has been hit by another rockfall which will cause further disruption.

The A890 Stromeferry bypass in remote Wester Ross was shut in both directions after about 15 tonnes came down on the road.

Another 40-50 tonnes will need to be moved before the road can re-open, and this could take three to four days.

The latest landslide comes just over a year after the a major rockfall which cost Highland Council £2.8million to deal with.

The bypass plays a part in taking traffic around Loch Carron.

The council is currently consulting the public over ways to prevent future disruption.

Options include a £60m bridge, a 1.2 mile tunnel costing £94m and a new, longer bypass running to about £23m.

Other options include stabilising the rock face next to the Stromeferry bypass at £69million and a £109m project involving cutting rock from the hillside and widening the road.

Dumping tonnes of rock into Loch Carron to give enough space for a new stretch of road next to the nearby railway line has been estimated at £115m.

The A890 helps to connect Lochcarron to Plockton, and its high school, and eventually with Kyle, on the opposite side of Loch Carron.

The road runs across the top of the sea loch to link up with the A896, the main road to Lochcarron.

While the bypass was closed, drivers faced having to take a 140-mile diversion, instead of the usual 18 miles (29km) from Lochcarron to Plockton.

A small car ferry, a pleasure cruiser and train services were all utilised in an effort to ease the travel headache for locals.