Motorists are being advised to expect delays on the A86 as four weeks of resurfacing works get under way.
Bear Scotland has begun a £600,000 programme of resurfacing works over two miles of carriageway along the A86 from Kingussie to Spean Bridge.
Contractors will remain on site across four locations between West of Ardverikie and Roughburn for the next four weeks from 8pm until 6am each evening, as works to improve the condition of the trunk road gain pace.
A full road closure will be imposed during the course of the works, due to the narrow carriageway widths, ahead of completion by Friday, June 18.
Improving road safety
Eddie Ross, Bear Scotland’s North West Representative, said: “This £600,000 surfacing improvement project will help address the defects across four locations on the A86, improving safety and ride comfort for road users.
“We need to close the road overnight to ensure that our teams and road users are kept safe during the project, however we’ve arranged for the works to take place overnight and are avoiding working during busier periods to minimise disruption as much as we can.
“We’ve also arranged for amnesty periods that will allow traffic to safely pass through the work sites at set times thus limiting any impact as best we can.”
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Programme of works
Four sections of the A86 will see significant improvements to the existing road surface as part of the programme of extensive repairs.
Works are currently underway west of Ardverikie, ahead of a five night stretch of improvements at Galovie Farm from Tuesday evening.
Bear Scotland will then move onto completing resurfacing works East of Aberarder from June 3 for five nights, prior to completion of the final stretch of carriageway East of Roughburn.
No works will take place on Friday or Saturday nights, nor will any work be undertaken on the Sunday 30 and Monday 31 May given the Spring Bank Holiday weekend.
Outwith working hours, a 30mph speed restriction will remain in place as traffic will be running on a temporary road surface.
No diversion available
As there is no suitable diversion route for these sections of the A86, vehicles will be held at either side of the work site until they are able to be escorted safely through the site during pre-set amnesty periods at 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, 12am, 2am and 4am.
Motorists are encouraged to arrive in good time to ensure they are accommodated within the amnesty period.
Emergency services will be able to pass through the works at all times.
Mr Ross added: “Our teams will do all they can to complete the works quickly and safely, and we thank the local community and road users for their patience while the re-surfacing operations are undertaken. We encourage motorists to plan ahead before setting out by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up to date travel information.”