A study to consider replacing Scotland’s second busiest ferry service with a bridge or tunnel is underway.
Highland Council, Hitrans and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) are jointly funding the study at the Corran Narrows in Lochaber.
It is being carried out by transport infrastructure specialists, Stantec.
The study is exploring whether it’s feasible to create a fixed link across the Corran Narrows and identify if the business case compares favourably with that of maintaining a ferry service over the next 60 years.
Stantec have identified five potential routes for fixed links. Two of these are for a low-level bridge, two for a high-level bridge and one for a tunnel.
An update on the project has been submitted to Highland Council’s Lochaber area committee for its meeting today.
Councillors are being asked to agree that the final report of the study is submitted to Transport Scotland as soon as possible as part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).
Neil MacRae, partnership manager at Hitrans, said: “This is a timely study that seeks to understand the business case supporting the different options for connecting across the Corran Narrows to best serve the communities of Morvern and Adnamurchan and beyond to Mull.
“The final report will help local partners make the case for investment in this strategic link at a national level.”
Martin Johnson, interim director of strategy and regional economy at HIE, added: “In previous decades, the construction of fixed links elsewhere in the Highlands and Islands have provided sustained benefits for communities.”
