Date pencilled in for partial reopening of Stromeferry bypass
Plans are in place to partially reopen the A 890 Lochcarron – Kyle road at Stromeferry to local traffic from Monday 19 March.
Traffic will be diverted from the road to share the railway track with trains on a traffic light system between 7 am and 7 pm on each day of the week. One-way vehicle movements will be controlled by barriers and traffic lights and motorists will be taken in convoy through the works. Motorists are warned of delays to allow trains to pass through this section. There will be a 7.5 tonne weight limit. Cars with trailers/caravans can be accommodated but measures will be in place to turn back vehicles which are assessed as unable to make the manoeuvre through the diversion.
As an indication, in the first week Monday to Friday (19-23 March), Network Rail will allow cars on the railway during the following times:-
0710 to 0745 (we will run Lochcarron to Kyle first); 0850 to 0915; 1020 to 1055; 1340 to 1420; 1610 to 1700 and1810 to 1900.
TRAC Engineering will be continuing to work extended hours to make the rockface near the Avalanche Shelter safe to ensure a full opening of the road can be achieved as soon as possible.
As a precaution during the first week of the diversion on to the railway line, the car ferry, the Glenachulish, will continue to run for one last week between 19 – 23 March. The car ferry and the road/rail interface will both operate and overlap for one week to cover contingencies until 23 March The car ferry will then return to start its scheduled summer service between Glenelg and Kylerhea. The passenger ferry, Sula Mhor, will continue in operation at Stromeferry until Friday 23 March.
Pupils from Applecross, Kishorn and Lochcarron will continue to use the train en route to Plockton High School until 23 March. From Monday 26 March, they will travel to and from school by road via minibuses.
Neil Gillies, Director of TEC Services, The Highland Council, said that special Holdfast units had been purchased to provide a surface on the railway line which would enable traffic to be diverted from the roadway on to the railway track. The diversion would be subject to a 7.5 tonne weight limit, and larger vehicles should still use the alternative route to Skye via the A87. These specialist units would be retained at the end of the works to as a contingency measure for the future.
It was hoped that the diversion would be put in place over the coming weekend in time for the diversion to be opened to local traffic from 7 am on Monday 19 March. The first convoy of the day would accommodate traffic travelling from Lochcarron to Kyle. Details of the periods of closure needed to allow the scheduled trains to run unimpeded on the road/rail interface would be published later in the week.
He said: “Thanks to the progress made by the contractor on the rockface in moving hundreds of tonnes of rock and debris, it is now safe to divert cars on to the railway line and, weather permitting, this can be achieved in time for a partial re-opening of the road on Monday 19 March. I must emphasise that this makeshift measure is designed to assist local traffic in the wake of the car ferry returning to Glenelg. Other traffic should continue to use the diversions via the A 82 and A 87. The contractor will continue to work round the clock to ensure a full reopening of the road as soon as is safe to do so.”
Mr Gillies thanked the owners of the Glenelg car ferry for allowing a week long extension of the use of the Glenachulish, which had maintained vital transport links during the closure of the road. He also thanked Scotrail for providing the early morning train service to Kyle and Network Rail for allowing shared use of the railway line.