Troubled road's tough year ahead

A stretch of road near Skipness which is falling away into the hillside below might not be fixed until next year.

 

It is understood that roads department specialists from Argyll and Bute Council have indicated that the other side of the road on the B8001, less than one mile west of the junction with the B842 road, would have to be fixed before any repair of the already broken away road could be taken on – a project that will continue into 2024.

 

Peter Jensen, a Skipness resident, said it was a vital road to northeast Kintyre folk but added there were wider implications for the area's transport links, should it degrade further.

 

He said: “A number of residents have been actively pressing for the road to be repaired. A letter was sent to the Transport Minister for Scotland, Fiona Hyslop.

 

“We heard recently that it is going to be next year, which leaves Skipness in a perilous position with regards to access for public transport vehicles and the emergency services.

 

“This is a minor road in name only; it is a lifeline link to us.

 

“There are no alternative routes to connect us with the B842 and the rest of the peninsula.

 

“Arguments were made at council level that the original road, over the hill and into the village from the west, could be used; an SUV tried it and was forced to turn back when a local attempted to use it not long ago.

 

“This has been a problem piece of road for several years now and we are asking the council to just get it fixed, but it doesn't want to do it.

 

“If there are further disruptions, as there have been, with ferries on Arran, the B8001 is a secondary route all the way round to the Central Belt for travellers rerouted via Lochranza to Claonaig run.

 

“You can imagine the chaos this causes in the height of the summer tourist season, having to use a road that is crumbling away.”

 

An Argyll and Bute Council spokesperson said: “The scheduled repairs are still on hold until legal agreements are finalised.

 

“Access will continue to be maintained along the existing single track road and the public will be notified when works are due to start.”