Uncertainty surrounds start date of delay-hit A835 Garve roadworks
UNCERTAINTY surrounds a delay-hit improvement project on a busy stretch of a trunk road passing through Ross-shire.
The major Ross-shire trunk road connects Easter and Wester Ross, running from Tore roundabout, through Ullapool and up to Ledmore Junction in Sutherland.
An incident in December 2023 caused a barrier on a sharp turn of the A835 near Garve to become damaged.
Since then, temporary traffic lights have been in place. The Garve and District Community Council say they were originally told that the works would be finished by summer 2024, then they were told it would instead be completed in summer 2025.
In August, BEAR Scotland said that works would begin in November of this year, and conclude in May 2026.
Now BEAR Scotland have stated that they cannot confirm the start date of these works.
The community council say, in an email from BEAR Scotland, they were told that they would “not be able to meet our previous date of 7th November and are now aiming for late November/early December to commence enabling works on site before Christmas”.
When the Ross-shire Journal asked BEAR Scotland to confirm this statement, they stated that work is expected to begin “ahead of the Christmas period” — but would not provide any further clarification on timescales.
Their spokesperson said: “BEAR Scotland can confirm that the tender process for the A835 Loch Garve Wall repair has been completed, and we are now finalising the appointment of a contractor.
“Works are expected to begin ahead of the Christmas period and involves the major reconstruction to replace approximately 100 metres of the retaining wall supporting the carriageway. Due to the scale and complexity of the works, we expect a construction period of around six months once on site.
“Temporary traffic management, including barriers and traffic lights, will remain in place to ensure the safety of road users and workers.
“We understand the community’s frustration regarding this delay and appreciate the continued patience of road users as we complete the necessary procurement and preparation to deliver these essential repairs safely and to a high standard.
“Further updates, including confirmed start dates and programme details, will be shared as soon as they are available.”