Highland Council convener calls for end to 'appalling' delays on A9 in Perthshire
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The convener of Highland Council has said that 'appalling' delays on the A9 in Perthshire are hitting the north's economy and called on the Transport Minister to intervene.
Members of the A9 Traffic Info group on social media have described the situation as an 'utter fiasco'.
There have been delays of more than two-and-a-hours reported in the Dunkeld area because of the second phase of gas works being carried out by SGN.
The section of roadworks is short – described as just in place for 30 metres.
Councillor Bill Lobban, member for Badenoch and Strathspey (Independent) said: "The appalling situation on the A9 with delays of up to two and a half hours caused by SGN gas main replacement just cannot be allowed to continue.
"This is causing a huge detrimental impact to the economy of the Highlands, Moray and Northern Perthshire as well as untold misery for road users.
"The Transport Minister must step in to ensure this problem is fixed and fixed now.
"All of the senior politicians representing the North of Scotland need to bring pressure to bear in Parliament to ensure the free flow of traffic on the A9 is restored.
"There is an election due soon so if you want our votes get it fixed."
A9 Traffic Info Group member Hilary Neilson posted: 'Countless people have had their days and probably their sanity hammered'.
The Enchanted Forest is currently running at its site in Pitlochry and its visitors have been badly affected by the delays.
Organisers are recommending that those attending allow for plenty of travel time.
A spokesperson for the attraction said: "For those customers impacted by the utterly unacceptable SGN roadwork tailbacks last night, and who were unable to make it, we’ve asked SEE Tickets to contact you today and arrange for you to transfer your tickets to another date.
"We understand fully that some customers may wish a full refund but we are not able to offer that option at this time.
"Please rest assured that the situation that occurred last night is being taken very seriously indeed and we are seeking immediate answers and reassurances from SGN at the very highest levels.
"We would also recommend that customers who are yet to attend leave plenty of time for their journey as we have now experienced four days of disruption out of a possible five as a direct result of SGN’s roadworks and we are less than confident that they have the matter under control, despite their claims to the contrary.
"For those customers who can take different routes to Pitlochry, avoiding the A9 altogether, we would recommend that they do."
Related article:
Major gas works disrupting A9 programmed to last until February
A spokesperson for SGN apologised and said they were looking at solutions to the tailbacks.
He said: "We understand that motorists have been experiencing delays in the A9 at various times since phase two of our project began on Monday 23 October.
"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience being caused and completely understand the frustrations of motorists caught up in the tailbacks.
"We’re continuing to work in close consultation with BEAR Scotland, Transport Scotland, the local authority and our contractor Morrison Energy Services.
"To help ease the disruption, we will be manually controlling the temporary traffic lights 24/7 until the Enchanted Forest event finishes next Sunday (5 November).
"Meanwhile, from Monday (30 October) we will have a breakdown truck on site at all times to remove any broken down vehicles from the road as quickly as possible.
"Our project in the area is essential to ensure that homes and businesses in Birnam, Logierait and Dunkeld continue to receive a reliable gas supply.
"The high-pressure pipeline which delivers gas to the wider area currently runs close to the River Tay, and due to erosion on the river bank, we need to move and upgrade this section of our network.
"We know this is a busy route, so are asking motorists to allow more time for their journeys as delays are unfortunately inevitable.
"Due to the complexity of the work we’re carrying out in the A9, the temporary traffic lights are required 24/7.
"If we completed engineering work during the night, there would still be open excavations or tarmac cooling in the road, which means we could not re-open the road during the daytime for safety reasons."
Over the last two decades more than 650,000 visitors have flocked to The Enchanted Forest.
Transport Scotland is being contacted for a comment.
