Almost 5,000 people have signed a petition to postpone the temporary closure of Uig Harbour on Skye.
Massive upgrades are planned to take place between October 10 and March 27 which is expected to have a big impact on island communities.
The harbour provides the only direct route from Harris to the mainland, but all ferry sailings from Tarbert will be cancelled while construction work is carried out.
While CalMac ferry MV Hebrides will be used to operate a daily run between Lochmaddy and Ullapool, no service will be put in place for Tarbert.
Instead, passengers will have to travel via Stornoway and Ullapool for almost six months.
Thousands of signatures
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (Cmal) is constructing a new 334ft dual fuel vessel to serve the Skye Traingle route, so improvements are being made at its three serving ports – Uig, Lochmaddy and Tarbert.
However, the vessel is currently sitting unfinished at the Ferguson Marine shipyard – and is not expected to be completed until next year.
Local businesses have previously raised concerns about the impact the closure will have on the economy.
Now, almost 5,000 locals have signed a petition, created by Councillor Grant Fulton, calling for a postponement to the project or for a temporary link to be put in place.
Former MP Brian Wilson is also involved in the campaign and warned the closure of the island’s “main artery” will be a “huge issue”.
‘Makes no sense’
“It gives time for something sensible to be devised. That’s the reason for saying postpone,” he said.
Speaking on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, Mr Wilson said: “Part of the problem here is that the CalMac fleet is in such a diminished condition, if you start messing about with any of the routes, then there’s knock on effects throughout the others.
“The particular problems are for Harris which would lose its direct connection, and the sailings would be via Stornoway, on a route that is already overbooked and not greatly reliable. Uist would lose a third of the freight coming into it.
“This is a huge issue in the islands. To close a pier to make way for work to make way for a ferry that doesn’t exist, and isn’t going to exists for another 18 months, makes no sort of sense at all.”
Postponement being considered
MSP Alasdair Allan asked Nicola Sturgeon if a postponement would be possible during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday.
In response, she said: “The transport minister is very aware of the concerns that communities have in relation to the planned Uig Harbour closure.
“This is a project that is ultimately led by Highland Council, but the transport minister has agreed, I understand, to meet with Alasdair Allan, in addition to meeting with the community board to discuss what further mitigations we might be able to support. ”
She added that a postponement is an option that continues to be considered, but comes with “considerable risks”.
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