Upgrading to road to The Isles to be completed
Transport Minister Tavish Scott today gave consent for works to go ahead for the final phase of the upgrading to two lanes of the Fort William to Mallaig Road A830 between Arisaig and Loch Nan Uamh.
This will remove the final section of single carriageway on this trunk road.
The Scottish Executive's agents for the works - The Highland Council - will now tender for construction work, with work due to start next Summer.
Mr Scott said: "The A830 is a lifeline route from Fort William to the port and community of Mallaig, the Small Isles and much of Morar. Completing the upgrading of Scotland's trunk road network has been an Executive objective and I am pleased that this work will now go ahead.
"This last section of the route is a single track road with passing places which can all too easily be blocked by minor incidents and essential maintenance.
"Widening of the route to two-lane standard will benefit the local economy, improve road safety, improve access for emergency services, and improve journeys on this length of road for locals and tourist visitors alike.
"The area includes a number of important conservation sites and we have worked hard to ensure that any work will not have any adverse effect on the wildlife and plant life in the area."
Councillor Charles King, chairman of HITRANS, the strategic transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands and The Highland Council's Transport Environmental and Community Services Committee said:
"This is the final piece in the jigsaw for the Road to the Isles, completing the upgrading of the entire A 830 Fort William - Mallaig road to a two track standard. It will provide safe, faster and more reliable travel for local residents and visitors alike, and also a welcome boost for the economy of the West Highlands, including Skye and the Western Isles that depended so much on this road for access to the south.
"The Scottish Executive Officials and Engineers are to be congratulated on their efforts in overcoming the considerable difficulties which faced them in developing the scheme."
Arisaig to Loch Nan Uahm is the first construction proposal in Scotland - and one of the first in the UK - where the full remediation requirements of the European Habitats Directive have had to be met. Scottish Ministers are content for the road improvement to proceed on the basis that its construction is essential for public safety and local economic development notwithstanding its unavoidable impacts on the Glen Beasdale Special Area of Conservation.
Notes for Editors:
1. The Arisaig to Loch nan Uamh Improvement is the last in a series of improvements of the 27 kilometre length of the A830 extending from Mallaig to Lochailort. The proposed widening is to a 6 metres wide carriageway with a 3.6 metres wide westbound verge (including a 1 metre wide hardened edge strip) and a 3 metres wide eastbound verge (also including for a 1 metre wide hardened edge strip).
2. The widening works have been constrained by the Glen Beasdale Special Area of Conservation. This internationally designated site is one of the best examples of its type in Britain. The works have been designed to have the least practicable impact on the woodlands and various mitigation and compensatory works will be undertaken to ensure the long-term integrity of these woodlands.
3. An application for a 20 per cent contribution from the Highlands and Islands transitional programme has been recommended. This would provide #3.2 million contribution towards the estimated #16 million cost of the road widening works.
4. The design of the works has been taken forward by The Highland Council acting as agents for the Scottish Executive. The Council expect to issue tender documents to approved