A889 resurfacing at Dalwhinnie: 'Has someone lost their mind?'
The local community has responded to BEAR Scotland after the shock news of 25-day major roadworks on the A889 from August 20.
The notice came on Wednesday afternoon (August 9) with a consultation letter from Transport Scotland's roads contractors.
Essential road improvements including five surfacing schemes on the A889 single carriageway between Dalwhinnie and Laggan will get underway on the night of Sunday 20th.
The carriageway improvement works commencing on the Sunday will be to resurface a total of 3600 metres of the A889 carriageway between the five sites (A889 Scriob Ruadh & A889 South of Allt Breakachy Bridge – South of Catlodge and A889 Dalwhinnie, A889 Dalwhinnie Distillery and A889/A9 Dalwhinnie Junction), creating safer journeys for motorists.
All improvements for both schemes will be completed by 6am on Friday, September 22. There will be no works on Friday or Saturday nights throughout the works.
On behalf of Dalwhinnie Community Council, chair Jen Dickinson has asked the contractors: "Has someone lost their mind?
"This is peak holiday season and the traffic through Dalwhinnie is significantly higher than other times of year.
"Add to this the effect closing our road will have on local businesses such as the distillery, Apiary, Deerstalker cafe, service station and hostel at the peak tourist season, when this is the time they make their money to ensure we have local businesses, and employment during the year.
"In closing the road here for a month over the peak season would be wholly detrimental to businesses and ensuring they survive.
"I shouldn’t need to remind you this is the first full year trading for many of these businesses post covid.
"I realise we need and want the road to be resurfaced and with all the delays this is well overdue. However this email has arrived with 11days notice for the community and local businesses.
"Please look at rescheduling and delaying the work for at least a month or two."
Responding to the request, BEAR's North West spokesman Mark Gibbs said: "I think there has been some confusion with the programme that was attached with the consultation email.
"For clarification, the surfacing works we are proposing will only be done at night between 19:00pm to 06:00am (Sunday to Thursday) with the road fully reopened each morning.
"Additionally there will be no works on Friday (06:00am) to Sunday (19:00pm), this will avoid any disruption across the weekend.
"Our works should not have any adverse effects on any of the local businesses during our working times.
"When we are working through Dalwhinnie itself access will be maintained for residents.
"I hope this clears things up but please get in touch for any further information."
But local hostel owner and community council member Lee Cleghorn has countered: "Unfortunately I have to completely disagree with you saying the works will not have any adverse effects on the local businesses.
"A large part of my trade is from people that are coming and going from Skye and book to stay at the hostel as it is conveniently located just off the A9 on the main route to and from Skye. So many guests try to fit as much as possible into their trip and don't arrive until often well after 7 pm at night and often only book that day or even turn up looking for accommodation without booking as they pass through Dalwhinnie.
"I am going to lose a massive amount of passing trade as they won't be coming through Dalwhinnie and will find accommodation in Kingussie or elsewhere.
"After struggling to make it through Covid and now facing ridiculous interest rates, energy costs and inflation I really need all the business I can get and find it totally unacceptable that you've decided to close the main route to Skye from the south at the height of the tourist season. I rely on this passing trade in the summer to make it through the quieter winter months.
"As someone with a lot of first-hand experience of working on road projects, I also have concerns about noise when the work takes place in Dalwhinnie itself.
"I'm a former explosives contractor that spent years working on major road projects including the Aberdeen Bypass, the Raith Interchange and the dualling of the Heads of the Valley road in Wales. My business is located in close proximity to where you'll be working and in the summer months guests often like to sleep with the windows open. So at the busiest time of year my guests will be disturbed through the night with heavy plant equipment in operation nearby.
"I am in complete agreement with Jen that this is by far the worst time of year you could have possibly chosen for this work to take place."
Any residents wishing to comment via the community council can do so via secretarylcc@laggan.com
