CONSULTANTS have been appointed to design a plan to tackle congestion on roads in the Highlands.
The roads in and around Fort William have been subject to complaints about traffic gridlocks, including the A82 which connects it to Glasgow and Inverness.
Now, two engineering firms are set to spend around 18 months configuring priorities and potential funding sources to help improve transportation, according to reports from the BBC.
Previous studies suggested that emergency service staff faced delays getting to work, as did school pupils and teachers, due to high congestion in the area.
BBC reported that firms AECOM and Stantec have been tasked by Highland Council and regional transport body Hitrans to produce an integrated transport plan as part of a wider vision for Fort William and Lochaber called FW2040.
Highland Council’s economy and infrastructure committee chairman Ken Gowans has called the appointment of consultants “a significant but long overdue step.”
Gowans said to the BBC: “The appointment … brings renewed momentum and a real opportunity to tackle the long-standing issues of congestion and connectivity that affect residents, businesses and emergency services alike.
“This plan is a key step in shaping a better future for Fort William and the wider Lochaber area.”
Transport Scotland confirmed the plan would explore ways to improve journey times and local connections along the A82 through Fort William.
Frazer Coupland, of the West Highland Chamber of Commerce, described the development as a “lifetime opportunity” for the region.
He told the BBC: “We are a town of low resilience when it comes to our transport infrastructure. It only takes a small mistake to really congest the place and gridlock us on occasions.
“A four to five-mile journey can take up to an hour if you go at the wrong times of day.”
While he said everyone wished for a “magic wand” to fix the problem, he acknowledged that solutions would take time.
In September, local businesses including BSW Timber and Mowi warned that worsening congestion was holding back expansion and affecting deliveries. Lochaber Chamber of Commerce said traffic in Fort William had reached “crisis point.”
The 2018 Fort William Strategic Transport Study highlighted serious seasonal congestion, delays to emergency services, and only one road in or out of town.
Accidents on the A82 can lead to diversions more than 100 miles long. The geography in the area has also had an adverse effect on road improvements, with Ben Nevis on one side and Loch Linnhe on the other.
