Motorists travelling along the A830 between Fort William and Mallaig are being advised to prepare for several weeks of disruption as a programme of road improvements gets underway on Wednesday 18 November.
BEAR Scotland, working on behalf of Transport Scotland, will carry out resurfacing, pedestrian crossing improvements and street lighting upgrades at several locations along the route.
The resurfacing programme had originally been scheduled to begin earlier in November but has been delayed, with the revised timetable now confirmed.
Temporary traffic lights and a 10mph convoy system will operate during the resurfacing works, with both daytime and overnight restrictions planned.
The first resurfacing works will take place east of Loch Eilt from Wednesday 18 until Friday 20 November, between 7am and 7pm each day.
Work will then move to Mallaig Roundabout on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 November, with restrictions operating between 7am and 7pm.
During this period, vehicles entering or leaving West Bay Industrial Estate will need to use the West Bay Car Park junction.
At Drumfada Terrace in Corpach, overnight resurfacing is scheduled from Wednesday 25 until Friday 27 November, with temporary traffic lights and convoy arrangements operating between 7pm and 6am.
Access to nearby properties and junctions will be maintained throughout the work.
Further overnight resurfacing will take place near Linnhe Caravan Park from Sunday 29 November until Thursday 3 December, again between 7pm and 6am.
The programme will then continue west of Polnish from Friday 4 until Friday 11 December, with daytime restrictions between 7am and 7pm and no work scheduled for the weekend.
Street lighting improvements at Banavie Swing Bridge are also planned, with temporary traffic lights operating overnight from Monday 7 until Friday 18 December, between 7.30pm and 6.30am.
Pedestrian crossing upgrades at Drumfada Terrace formed the first stage of the programme, with work scheduled between 9 and 13 November.
Outside working hours, temporary traffic lights will be removed and all running lanes reopened, although a 30mph speed restriction will remain where vehicles are travelling over temporary road surfaces.
BEAR Scotland says the improvements will address defects in the carriageway, renew road markings and make pedestrian crossings safer.
Steve Taylor, BEAR Scotland’s North West Design Manager, said:
“This programme of works on the A830 will address existing defects in the road surface, improve road markings and provide a safer crossing for pedestrians.
“Our teams will carry out these works as efficiently as possible, with safety as our top priority.
“We thank the local community and road users for their patience while we complete the improvements.”
Emergency service access will be maintained throughout the programme, and consultation has taken place with relevant stakeholders.
The A830 is an important connection for communities throughout Lochaber and the Road to the Isles, carrying local traffic, commercial vehicles and visitors travelling between Fort William and Mallaig.
Drivers are being encouraged to allow additional time for their journeys while the restrictions are in place.
Up to date traffic information is available at www.traffic.gov.scot
