A contractor has been appointed to remove some of the last pieces of infrastructure from the former Skye ferry at Kyleakin.
Orkney-based construction firm Leask Marine Limited will begin the work to demolish the two berthing dolphins in the village harbour on July 12.
Aside from the slipway itself, they were the last remaining evidence of the ferry service that made the village the gateway to the island for centuries, ahead of the opening of the Skye Bridge in 1995.
The contract, awarded by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMal) and worth £140,000, will allow Leask engineers to work from a barge to dismantle the dolphins piece by piece.
Divers will then undertake work below the surface of the water to remove the structures’ piles, which extend for 6.5ft beneath the seabed.
Brian Sydney, senior civil engineer at CMal, said: “The infrastructure has been out of operation for years now and the best course of action is to remove it.
“The local community has voiced some concerns about its condition, so they will welcome this work.
“Our contractor will be working mainly offshore from a marine barge, so local people and businesses won’t experience any disruption.
“In addition, Leask Marine will be working to strict Covid-19 protocols to protect the safety of employees and the local community.”
Piece of history
Kyleakin was transformed by the opening of the new bridge 26 years ago, with a number of businesses that had relied on the constant flow of visitors forced to close.
However, Skye tourists have continued to come to the village to see attractions such as the ruins of Caisteal Maol, with local councillor Calum MacLeod telling the P&J last year Kyleakin had “fared better than envisaged”.
According to Transport Scotland data, almost 5,000 journeys were made across the bridge every day in 2019.
Travellers intent on taking a bonnie boat over the sea to Skye still can, with the famous rotating ferry operating between Glenelg and Kylerhea just to the south of the old route.