Kessock Bridge concern

The Highland Council Leader Drew Hendry has expressed his huge concern at the long delays experienced by commuters heading into Inverness this morning at the Kessock Bridge.

Councillor Hendry has sought assurances from Transport Scotland and their operators Scotland Transerv that there will be no repeat of the unplanned lane closure and the absence of adequate communications.

Work has been proceeding on schedule on the construction of a new slip lane on Stadium Road on to the Longman Roundabout.

Stadium Road has been closed between 7 pm – 7 am to allow the extra lane to be built.

A decision was taken on safety grounds this morning by the contractor Scotland Transerv to extend the closure beyond 7 am today due to the proximity of excavation works to the carriageway.

This resulted in long tail backs of traffic and delays of up to two hours for some travellers.

Councillor Hendry said:  “This is a real wake up call for Transport Scotland ahead of the main resurfacing contract which begins on 11 February.

“Hundreds if not thousands of people have been inconvenienced by this unplanned closure.

“I appreciate there are safety issues involved but there was an absence of any warning to the public via radio or social media and this is not acceptable.

“I am sure that there must have been other options available to the contractor to secure the safety of drivers rather than closure of one lane at a peak time.

“The consequences of the closure could not have been fully considered.”

Councillor Hendry understands the 2 lanes will reopen by lunch time and will not be repeated ahead of the start to the resurfacing contract.

He concluded:  “The travelling public deserve an unreserved apology from the contractors, for what happened this morning.”