Massive boulder means trunk road will have to close
Forestry Commission Scotland staff have met with the emergency services to discuss closing a busy Highland trunk road.
They are discussing alternative arrangements for the proposed weekend closure of a section of the A82 in late November or early December.
The closure – affecting a stretch of road south of Fort William - is needed to carry out a controlled operation to bring down a potentially unstable 250 tonne rock.
Attending the meeting were representatives of the police, fire and ambulance services as well as representatives of the local NHS and Highland Council together with key managers from Transport Scotland and Transerv.
Mike Green, the commission’s project leader said: “We are in the process of consulting widely about the operation because we know that we need to do as much as we can, as soon as we can, to help people plan around the proposed closure.
“This is especially important for the emergency services because maintaining emergency cover over the weekend of our operation to remove this rock will place very particular demands on their resources.
“It will take some involved planning and whilst the operation has the potential to disrupt it is very reassuring to note the professionalism of the emergency services and other key service providers in respect of their initial responses to contingency planning.”
