Latest news with #BlackIsle
BBC News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Water main work could close road at Dingwall for 13 weeks
A two-mile (1.2km) stretch of the A862 at Dingwall could be fully closed for more than three months while a water main is Water said it had hoped to use temporary traffic lights but several points on the road were found to be too narrow for that to be done closure on the Black Isle could last about 13 weeks between 7 July and 26 A862 provides access into Dingwall from the A9's roundabout on the north side of the Cromarty Bridge. A 13-mile (21km) diversion will be in place during the closure. Scottish Water said it discussed its plans with Highland Council. A convoy system was also ruled out for safety reasons.A Scottish Water spokesperson said: "Ultimately, the priority is that the works are carried out as safely as possible and to ensure the safety of both our workforce and members of the public."We fully understand the inconvenience this closure may cause, and we will look at what we can do to try and complete the works as soon as possible. "This will be dependent on what ground conditions we encounter when works begin."
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Extra funding sought for Highland-backed small ferry services
Plea for extra funding for Highland small ferries The Corran Ferry is the busiest of the services Highland Council supports It has asked Transport Scotland for its annual grant assistance of £1m to be increased to £1.5m for 2025-26. In a new report the council said fuel, maintenance, staff and contingency costs were all increasing. The local authority supports six services including between Cromarty on the Black Isle and Nigg in Easter Ross, and sailings connecting communities on the Lochaber coast. Highland Council has asked for extra funding to cover rising costs affecting the ferry services it helps to run. In the report to next week's Lochaber committee, officers said that at the time of writing a "positive" response had been received from the public body. News from the Highlands and Islands on BBC Sounds More stories from the Highlands and Islands The local authority receives grant funding from the Scottish government via Transport Scotland to help it deliver what are called internal ferry services. They include a service to Inverie, a small community in Knoydart that can only be reached by boat or a walk of about two to three days. The Corran Ferry is the busiest of the services. It carries about 270,000 cars and 11,000 commercial vehicles a year. The five-minute crossing of Loch Linnhe's Corran Narrows links the wider Lochaber area with communities in the Ardgour peninsula in the west. The alternative journey by road around the loch takes about two hours. Figures in the report suggest costs were rising across the six services. They include overall engine repair costs forecasted to rise from a figure of £326,158 in 2014-15 to £618,000 in 2026-27. Over the same period, fuel costs are expected to increase from £169,843 to £264,181. In November, the Scottish government confirmed that £28m earmarked for road improvements in the Highlands would be used to replace the Corran Ferry's 24-year-old vessel and its 50-year-old Maid of Glencoul. The money was initially allocated for an upgrade of the Longman interchange on the A9, but councillors appealed to the Scottish government to change investment priorities.
