During the winter months, our teams encountered various weather-related challenges. The harsh winter conditions brought unique obstacles for planned works, routine maintenance, bridge and road upgrades, and cyclic tasks.

Despite this, Transport Scotland invested £22.6 million in improving the North West trunk road network throughout October, November, and December.

There was little sign of slowing down for our teams as they continued to progress with vegetation management, drainage investigations, minor improvements, planned maintenance and more. Keep reading for a taste of what our teams accomplished during Q4.

A835 Inchbae Bridge

Works to improve the condition of Inchbae Bridge were completed in October. The existing filler joist concrete and steel beam deck of the bridge was in very poor condition with extensive spalling on the soffit and weathering of the deck edges. Our team carried out extensive concrete repairs, fixed the deck soffit, reconstructed the deck edges and rebuilt the masonry parapets.  The deck edge detailing and drainage has also been revised to ensure better durability for years to come.

Winter upgrades for swing bridges  

Much like the Christmas break has left us feeling refreshed, some of the swing bridges on our network were rejuvenated in time for the new year. It was ‘out with the old and in with the new’ for Laggan, Aberchalder and Fort Augustus swing bridges on the A82. Amongst the upgrades, the old generators have been disposed of and the generator sheds have now been removed and upcycled by a local charity. All three bridges have had new hydraulic hard lines installed and Aberchalder has also benefitted from a new retaining wall.

A series of improvements for Skye

Locals and visitors travelling along the A87 are benefiting from smoother and safer roads, thanks to over £1.1 million of investment from Transport Scotland.

Various locations on the A87 trunk road, including Uig, Upper Breakish and North of Broadford, received a mixture of surface course and structural inlay treatment to depth of up to 260mm in places, resulting in over 3km of road improved. These works were carried out at night time to minimise disruption to road users.

Investment in Argyll and Bute

The west coast has also seen significant investment this quarter with over £1.2 million invested along the A83 trunk road in locations such as Honeymoon Bridge, Stonefield, Bellochuntay and more. We thank the local community and business owners for their ongoing patience and support whilst we carry out improvements in the area.