Communities advised of likely disruption to Corran Ferry services

A meeting of The Highland Council’s Fort William and Ardnamurchan Ward Forum is being held at Strontian tomorrow (Thursday) night when the public will be advised of the need for essential repairs to the Nether Lochaber slipway, which serves the Corran Ferry. The public meeting is being held at the Sunart Centre, starting at 6.30 p.m.

More than £650,000 of remedial work is needed at the mainland slipway, which may require the service to be suspended during part of the construction, leaving drivers with a detour around Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil. It is being recommended that work should take place in May/June of this year.
The ferry provides a link between Nether Lochaber, which is situated near the A 82 Fort William – Oban road, to Ardgour and the Ardnamurchan and Morvern peninsulas.

The slipway is in poor condition and in need of similar remedial works to those carried out to the Ardgour slipway in 2004 to keep the ferry in operation.

Sam MacNaughton, the Council’s Head of Transport and Infrastructure, said: “A combination of age of structure, strong currents and the effects of the more powerful propulsion unit of the new ferry are having a detrimental effect on the condition of the slipway structure. Civil engineers were commissioned in 2008 to consider options for strengthening and repairing the structure, with design options including allowing the ferry to continue its normal timetable as an essential part of the brief. The outcome of this study will now be presented to the public for a full discussion on the options.”

Councillor Michael Foxley, Leader of the Council’s Administration, said: “The Corran Ferry is a vital link for the communities of Ardgour, Sunart, Morven and Ardnamurchan as well as North Mull.  We need to ensure that the disruption to the travelling public is reduced to the absolute minimum.”

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