Stabilising two dangerous landslip areas in Wester Ross will hit cash-strapped Highland Council with a bill of more than £3m over the next two years.
Highland councillors will next week be asked to approve spending of £2.1m on the rock faces at Stromeferry and just under £1m for stabilisation at the Kinloch Hourn landslip.
They’ll be told that the money will come from savings from other capital projects.
Four ‘very high risk’ rock slopes were identified in an annual inspection of Stromeferry last year.
The news came hard on the heels of a £1.2m council project last year to stabilise the rock face, requiring the closure of the by-pass for three months between September and November.
Similar stabilisation measures are now needed for two of the very high risk rock faces, with catch fencing required on the other two.
Council leader Margaret Davidson said although a strain on resources, rock stabilisation was a better option than building a new road, which would have to be traded off against projects like a new primary school.
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Mrs Davidson said her approaches to the Scottish Government for help had largely fallen on deaf ears, with Transport Scotland defining the A890 as a local road whose ultimate responsibility lies with the council.
To tackle long-term solutions for Stromeferry, the council is proposing to form a cross-party options selection group comprising the four Wester Ross councillors Biz Campbell, Ian Cockburn, Alexander MacInnes and Derek MacLeod.
They are joined by the chairman and two vice-chairs of Environment Development and Infrastructure committee, Allan Henderson, Hugh Morrison, Trish Robertson and the chairman and vice-chairman of Corporate Resources, Alister Mackinnon and Mathew Reiss.
In November, a massive landslip closed the Invergarry-Kinloch Hourn road at Loch Quoich Dam, temporarily closing the power station and cutting off power to the Western Isles and parts of Skye.
The area is currently being allowed to settle through natural processes, with limited access arrangements for all-terrain vehicles to reach properties and SSE infrastructure.
The road is expected to re-open in the middle of this year.
The council says almost £1m will be needed over the next two years for the remedial works.
It is seeking legal advice to determine liability in a situation which also involves SSE and landowners.
