A hydro firm has been granted permission to change a route of construction traffic to a development in Glen Etive – with the pledge it will re-inforce three bridges on the new route.
Dickins Hydro Resources is one of seven companies developing schemes in the area.
At present plant, equipment and materials are delivered by sea, arriving at the jetty at the south western end of the Glen.
They are then transported from the jetty via the network of forestry track, before joining the public road at Invercharnan.
From here construction traffic travels along the public road for five miles to reach the Allt Chaorainn hydro scheme.
It is now proposed to route most of the construction traffic from the A82 trunk road and access the Glen from the top.
This route extends from the Glen Etive road junction with the A82 some four miles to reach the access to the site at Chaorainn bridge.
A restriction is in place on vehicles over 18 tonnes, and the company wish to increase this to 26 tonnes – and occasionally 40 tonnes with the new route.
They have pledged to reinforce three concrete bridges on the route.
Councillors approved the application with additional conditions that no traffic operates on weekends between Easter and October 31 and that any use of vehicles up to 40 tonnes is approved by senior road managers at Highland Council.
