Supply issues hold up pioneering A889 project - and Storm Ashley on the way
Ground-breaking work on the A889 Dalwhinnie is being held up - firstly by a shortage of materials and secondly by the threat of this weekend’s Storm Ashley.
A spokesperson for BEAR Scotland explained this afternoon: “Due to material supply issues yesterday evening, the road surface at the latest section of the A889 Dalwhinnie resurfacing scheme was not completed and an area is not currently suitable to drive on.
“Traffic lights have therefore had to remain in place for safety.”
Operatives are set to return to work tomorrow between 7.30am and 2pm to lay the road surface, making the road usable but will give it a miss on Sunday due to the stormy weather expected to hit Badenoch.
The stretch on the Dalwhinnie road, which branches off from the A9 to join with the A86 after the village, is set to be the first trunk road in the UK to use ‘smooth ride technology’.
But the transformation is proving anything but smooth.
The technology, a new method typically utilised on airfields, is a pioneering approach using lasers to scan the existing road surface in advance, allowing BEAR Scotland, operating on behalf of Transport Scotland, to optimise the resurfacing to achieve a more even road surface.
“This produces a smoother road surface,” said the spokesperson, “which can be difficult to achieve when resurfacing old roads, use less bituminous material and will help the drainage of water off the road.”
The project is being undertaken by Breedon Trading Ltd on behalf of BEAR Scotland and began on September 30 for a projected 20 nights.
“To ensure the safety of the workforce and road users, the road will be closed overnight between the A9/A889 Dalwhinnie junction and the A889 Crubenmore Junction just north of the railway bridge and Dalwhinnie Distillery.
“A9 traffic that would usually travel on the A889 will be guided by a signed diversion route through Kingussie, Newtonmore and Laggan, and vice versa for A86 traffic, so road users can continue their journey safely.
“Access will be maintained at all times during the night time road closure for emergency services, residents and visitors.
“Operatives will be positioned at each end of the work site to safely escort residents and visitors to their destination within Dalwhinnie through the live works zone where surfacing will be taking place. In addition, there will be signs at accesses and junctions with a phone number to ring for residents and customers leaving Dalwhinnie so that an operative can escort road users safely out of the site.”
BEAR’s north west rep Ian Stewart added: “This crucial surfacing project through Dalwhinnie will fix existing defects and significantly enhance the driving experience for all road users.
“Smooth Ride technology, a first for UK trunk roads, creates a more even road surface which will help drainage of the road in this location and reduce the amount of bituminous material used and therefore the carbon footprint. The trial will consider whether there would be benefits to using the system on future projects across the trunk road network.
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“Our teams will do all they can to complete the works as quickly and safely as they can. We thank the local community and road users for their patience while we complete the improvements.
“To minimise delays, we recommend that road users plan their journeys in advance by checking the Traffic Scotland website for real-time travel updates.”
Real time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland on www.traffic.gov.scot, X @trafficscotland or on the mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.
