Public event called on options appraisal for A890 Stromeferry Bypass - Stage 1 findings

The draft outcome of the first stage of assessment of options for replacing the A890 Stromeferry Bypass will be presented at a public drop-in session being held  in Lochcarron Village Hall on Saturday 27 April between 1 – 5 pm. 

Representatives of The Highland Council and its consultant - URS Infrastructure and Environment UK Ltd - will be available at the public session to discuss the findings which will be taken to the next stage of the appraisal process. The findings of the draft report will be presented to the Council’s Transport Environmental and Community Services Committee on Thursday 16 May.  The report will identify the options which have been considered and the nine routes which will be taken forward to the next stage where detailed evaluation will be undertaken to identify the preferred option.

The Highland Council’s consultant was tasked with reviewing the historical studies which have been carried out since the bypass opened in 1970.  They followed a STAG (Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance) procedure to identify solutions through a series of workshops with community representatives and regulatory bodies. The purpose of the Stakeholder workshops was to identify the objectives of the scheme and to provide a framework to measure the merits of one option against another.

Stage two of the study, to identify a preferred option, is expected to be complete by spring 2014.

Councillor Graham Phillips, Chair of the TEC Services Committee, said: “This will be an event of real interest to local people and we urge them to come along to see the progress being made and discuss the options.  The Council has given priority to finding a solution to the recurring rockfalls at the Stromeferry Bypass.  We fully appreciate the inconvenience and the impact on schooling and local businesses of road closures, which result in a 140 mile diversion for road traffic.”