A890 motorists urged not to get caught out as Stromeferry work gets set to begin
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The A890 will undergo a series of road closures between the traffic gates at Ardnarff and Attadale from Monday for up to 12 weeks, while work is carried out on the rock face.
The move follows a series of highly-disruptive rockfalls in recent years, which have repeatedly blocked the route – forcing motorists into a whopping 140-mile detour via Inverness, Invermoriston and Dornie to get around it.
While the work is carried out a special road-to-rail bypass will be installed. This will briefly divert cars onto the adjacent railway track and back again at set windows during the day when trains are not passing by.
But motorists who miss one of the windows could face waits of up to two-and-a-half hours for the next one.
And this has prompted Highland Council to urge drivers to make sure they plan their journey and allow enough travel time so they are not caught out.
A council spokeswoman said: “We have worked closely with Network Rail and our contractor TRAC Engineering Ltd to keep disruption to road users to a minimum when the road
“But inevitably there will be times when road users will face longer waits – so we urge people to plan their travel carefully and avoid the periods when the diversion is not going to be available.”
During the works the road will be closed overnight to all traffic between the two gates between 10pm and 7am.
Traffic control measures will operate between 7am and 10pm while the road-to-rail bypass is installed. This could take up to two weeks, but may be finished sooner.
Once the temporary bypass is installed, the timetable of opening slots between trains will take effect.
Cards showing details of the timetable that will be operating for the road to rail diversion have been distributed among local communities.
Copies are also available at the Highland Council website by searching for Stromeferry Bypass at www.highland.gov.uk
The road-to-rail bypass will be available for use between 7am and 10pm, but only by traffic weighing less than seven-and-a-half tonnes (this includes box vans which are less than eight metres and mini buses and cars towing caravans which are less than 10.8m).
Traffic above those limits will have to divert along the A87, A82, A832 and A890.
The council believes the restrictions and roadworks will be finished by November 24, when the A890 will fully reopen.
