Mitigating measures agreed as section of A96 west of Nairn set for full weekend closure

Travel disruption is expected this weekend after a full weekend closure of a section of the A96 west of Nairn has been confirmed.

This comes as part of an extensive resurfacing programme of the road carried out by contractor Amey.

The closure near Dalnies Wood will start from 7.30pm tonight (August 25) until 6.30am on Monday, with diversions through Cawdor in place.

However, concerns over road safety and the amount of traffic diverted through smaller villages in the area during the English summer bank holiday weekend prompted talks between Highland Council and Amey.

The result is a series of mitigations required to allow the works to take place.

Councillor Paul Oldham, who contacted Amey to raise such concerns two weeks ago, said: "Highland Council and on this and the latest news is that the closure is going ahead as planned and, as you will have seen already if you’re been down the A96 in the last few days, there are warning signs out about the closure. Amey have also been using radio advertising and social media advertising to alert the wider public."

He said that the mitigating measures will include:

• Enhanced Site Traffic Liaison Officer (STLO) patrols on the diversion to monitor areas of concern.
• Temporary traffic lights will be deployed at the pinch points in Nairn and Clephanton with manual control implemented where necessary.
• “Unsuitable for HGVs” signage will be erected at local roads which we have identified as possible unofficial diversions by HGVs, especially the B9091 from Clephanton to Nairn and the B9101 through Auldearn to the A96 eastbound.
• Speed activated signs will be erected along the diversion route to reinforce speed limits with a temporary TRO in place for affected period.
• The traffic light timings within Cawdor are being adjusted to prioritise main road traffic for the affected period.
• Local access to Ardersier via both the B9092 and B9006 will be maintained.

He commented: "Overall I hope these measures will help but if you see anything that concerns you over the weekend then please contact the Amey control room directly, which you can do via this form which is monitored 24x7."

An Amey spokesperson said: “As part of an £810,00 investment into improving the A96 carriageway near Nairn, a road closure was scheduled for this weekend following discussions with Highland Council.

“The A96 currently requires significant maintenance. Any decision to close a carriageway is not taken lightly and we have explored traffic management options to minimise disruption to the travelling public as much as possible.

“During the road closure we will deliver several mitigation measures for the benefit of the travelling public, including enhanced signage to raise awareness of the works and diversion route as well as temporary controls in place to ease the flowof diverted traffic at points identified by Highland Council.

“We will also implement lower speed limits and speed activated signs to enhance public safety as well as recovery vehicles on standby in case of any issues on the diversion route.

“We thank the public for their patience while these essential improvements are carried out and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

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