Pupils centre stage at West Ross road opening

The 12 pupils from Kinlochewe Primary School joined local Highland Councillors Roy Macintyre, Gairloch, and Ewen Mackinnon, Lochcarron, at a ceremony to mark both the official opening of the second phase of the upgrading of the A 832 Achnasheen – Kinlochewe road and the commencement of work on phase three.

Eilidh Macdonald (primary 1) and Guy Stein (primary 2) helped the councillors cut the ribbon to open the 4.2 km stretch of two-lane carriageway between Lubmore and Glendocherty and then dig the first turfs on the 4.6 km stretch of road to be built between Glendocherty and Kinlochewe.

Phase one of the programme saw 5.8 km of road built between Achnasheen and Lubmore, by the shores of Loch a’Chroisg. A total of £10 million is being spent on providing modern two-lane carriageway between Achnasheen and Kinlochewe. Funding of 25% from the European Regional Development Fund was attracted for each of the three phases of the works.

Highland Quality Construction are building phase three, having completed the first two phases. Work is scheduled to take one year to complete.

The alignment was designed by The Highland Council’s Project Design Unit in Brora, in close consultation with Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and environmental consultants, Horner & Maclennan. The scheme integrates into the environment and has involved archaeological and environmental studies which have been considered in both the design and construction controls to mitigate impacts.

Councillor Ewen Mackinnon, the Council’s transport spokesman, said: "The Highland Council is committed to improving premium routes between rural communities which are of both economic and social importance to the areas in which they are located. We are delighted to have attracted funding from Europe to make this stretch of road safer and to reduce travel times."

Councillor Roy Macintyre said: "Ever since I was elected to the Council in 1995, I have taken every opportunity available to argue the case for this section of road. It is a vital link to West Ross and I am certain that the upgrading will bring economic benefits to the area."

The improvements complement the improvements previously made between Garve and Achnasheen and from Kinlochewe to Gairloch.

The Achnasheen to Kinlochewe route was a single lane, 3m wide road with passing places. Both the horizontal and vertical alignments were sub-standard with tight horizontal curves and frequent blind crests giving sub-standard forward visibility resulting in high accident statistics and reduced journey times.

By contrast, the proposed alignment is a 2 lane, 6m wide carriageway designed in accordance with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges using the appropriate horizontal and vertical curvature. This provides excellent visibility and overtaking opportunities through difficult topography while still being sensitive to the environment.