Pothole Repairs

At its June meeting, West Ardnamurchan Community Council urged residents to write to Highland Council about the state of our roads which, over the winter and spring, had become so pockmarked with potholes they resembled a World War I battlefield - post here. The Diary has now received a reply from the Principle Engineer at Highland Council's Lochaber Technical Services, Mark Smith.

He writes to say that pothole repairs are continuing. As can be seen from the above picture, a great deal has been done by our road people, most of it since the June meeting when Tec Services began to receive the complaints. As we well knew, all the lads and lass needed was the tarmac to fill the potholes, so it's good to see that local pressure seems to have had some effect.

Mr Smith goes on to say, "...a substantial part of the area budget has been allocated to works on the B8007, and the works are programmed to start in September." This refers in part to the above section of road, from the cairn down to Achateny and Kilmory, which is still in such a dreadful state that the Council have taken the unusual step of warning motorists before they embark on it - though the term 'uneven road' hardly describes it.

The twenty miles of single-track road that connects the end of the peninsula to Salen is our only road in and out. For us, it's a vital lifeline. While it is welcome to see some permanent improvements in the pipeline, we are quite sure that, come next winter, large sections of the road will start to fall apart again.

A map of our 'road system' is here.