During the summer months of July, August, and September 2024, Transport Scotland invested a total of £22.5m into enhancing the North West trunk road network.

It’s been another busy summer for BEAR Scotland with a range of planned works, routine maintenance, bridge and road improvements as well as cyclic jobs all designed to ensure safer and smoother travel.

The unseasonably wet summer encouraged rapid growth of vegetation along the trunk roads, keeping our landscaping teams busy with grass cutting and sign clearing. Cyclists who braved the weather for a ride along Leanaig Cycleway on the A835, experienced a noticeable upgrade with the recent reconstruction of the path, making their rides more enjoyable. And as the days grow shorter, with summer well and truly a distant memory, residents of Taynuilt and Golspie can look forward to improved visibility with newly refurbished street lighting, enhancing safety during evening outings.

A835 120 Torran Dhu scour repairs

Scour repairs continued on the A835 120 Torran Dhu throughout July. The masonry refurbishment of the retaining walls and parapets was completed, and we finished the concrete repairs at both the downstream and upstream edge beams.

August saw the completion of further works including pointing the upstream cope, resetting and pointing new copes at the downstream parapet, installing rock filter bags and repairing the timber pedestrian fencing.

A87 510 Allt Dubh

Located approximately 15 miles south of Portree, Allt Dhu bridge is a single-span reinforced concrete arch bridge. After a vehicle collision in June, around 3.5m of the existing parapet was badly damaged.

The damaged section of the parapet was dismantled, including all loose stones, then rebuilt using natural hydraulic lime mortar and the existing stones which were recovered from the soft verge and the burn below.

Natural beauty meets civil engineering

Our structural maintenance teams completed several projects throughout this quarter, including some near areas of outstanding natural beauty. Schemes like Loch Tulla viewpoint, Falls of Falloch and Loch Eli all provided stunning backdrops for schemes which involved a mixture of surface course, structural inlay and overlay surfacing treatments of various depths.

We strive to carry out works in a way that has the least impact on the public, something which is particularly important in areas that attract a healthy number of tourists and visitors.

Surfacing improvements for Campbeltown

Locals and visitors travelling through Campbeltown are benefiting from a safer and smoother road surface thanks to an investment of £709,000.

Despite challenges with the weather, operatives carried out resurfacing works at four locations in Campbeltown throughout August, improving over 2000m of carriageway for road users.