Residents and motorists in Highland Perthshire have hit out at road works that will see vital routes shut for more than two months.
Householders in the Balnaguard and Strathtay areas – served by two minor roads which will see the majority of redirected traffic – have voiced fears there will be accidents and delays.
They also claim it will result in unacceptable hold-ups as vehicles are made to divert miles to complete essential journeys.
The first of FIVE hits to normal driving routines began last week, with a stretch of road closed between Logierait and Grandtully.
Resurfacing had led to no cars permitted along the stretch of the A827 from 9.15am to 3pm.
This will last for three weeks. Cold weather led to delays in the works.
Perth and Kinross Council has advised that the next road closure at A827 Pitnacree Bridge would not start yesterday (February 14) as planned.
PKC ordered the closure of Pitnacree bridge over the River Tay, connecting Logierait to Grandtully.
It will be closed from 9am to 3.15pm for two weeks but these works on the bridge will only start as soon as the works on A827 Eastertyre are completed.
A car coming northwards from the A9 to Aberfeldy will need to turn off the carriageway at Dalguise and pass Kinnaird and go on to Grandtully to miss stop signs.
Emergency vehicles and pedestrians will be allowed through but residents of Balnaguard and houses along the diversion route are anxious.
One resident told the PA: “Closures are basically causing traffic to divert onto the Balnaguard road south of the Tay, which is quite narrow with sharp corners.
“I’ve already encountered at least two large trucks and lorries that should not be on that road, as well as cars going at dangerous speeds.
“The inconvenience of all this is one thing, but the confusion and risk is something else entirely.
“I’d be amazed if there isn’t an accident, either on the Balnaguard road this week, or the Strathtay road in coming weeks.
“This can’t have been the safest way to enact these works.”
Strathtay’s ribbon of homes along the meandering riverside road will also be seeing a big rise in traffic.
Chair of the Aberfeldy Community Council Victor Clements flagged what begins soon along Poplar Avenue and the Weem Road, the western approach to the town.
He said: “The Poplar Avenue is going to be closed for periods from mid March to allow for resurfacing, and for work on the traffic lights.
“The traffic order covers a four week period from March 14, with work being done in phases within this period, with the road closed from Wade’s Bridge through to Weem.”
For people coming from Fearnan, Glenlyon and Fortingall, the only way to reach the chemist in Aberfeldy is to reroute via Kenmore.
Businesses like Highland Safaris will see visitors put off coming as the way to Dull would involve half an hour plus extra driving time via Loch Tay.
Carers making visits to rural homes will face enormous time loss as they crisscross the district avoiding closure points.
With Poplar Avenue shut, getting to Aberfeldy from the west could mean accessing it from the other end, having travelled 30 extra minutes along through Strathtay and heading back via Grandtully.
There have also been problems for kids who live in Pitlochry and the A9 area, that go to Breadalane Academy, returning home because the road did not reopen in time for school buses.
A council email to parents read: "We have been notified by transport that Tayside Contracts have informed them that due to ongoing roadworks on the A827 the road may not be open today until 3.30pm.
"This will affect your children who travel on one of three buses.
"This is a worst case scenario and there is the possibility the road could be opened before this time.
"If the road remains closed until 3.30pm, all pupils will be asked to remain in the assembly hall until the arrival of the buses which should have an ETA of 3.45pm.
"We will send out a further Groupcall to inform you of its departure from school.
"Alternatively, if the buses arrive at school any earlier we will notify you asap."
A local resident took to social media, posting on Aberfeldy Community Notice Board and tagging local councillors: “So is anyone else starting to find it a wee bit ridiculous that one road or another is going to be totally shut at some point in the area over the course of February to April? Pitnacree, Eastertyre, Grandtully, Weem, and now Bolfracks? Whose idea was all this and why is it so difficult to implement works overnight to minimise disruption?”
Conservative Highland ward councillor John Duff came back on the thread: “Perth and Kinross Council looks after 2500km of roads (the 250km of trunk roads eg A9, A90, A85 are responsibility of BEAR Scotland) and we need to use the full year to keep up on the maintenance programme. In the last few years, we have resurfaced over 150km and surface dressed over 550km of these roads.”
An angry local saw it as expediency: “Classic run up to the end of the financial year, always results in a flurry of roadworks – spend it or lose it.”
Independent councillor Xander McDade replied: “The underspend is normally just put into reserves. The roads budget has been underspent the last two years due to the pandemic preventing works.
“The road works are usually programmed to be spread across the year. There is just a limited window they can be undertaken in so you see a lot of them happening February-April, particularly up here to avoid the main tourist season.”
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “We have invested £14 million in road repairs in 2021/22 to ensure road users benefit from the best road surfaces.
“The latest road condition survey report received in early January from the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS), shows that the condition of the local road network across Perth and Kinross has improved by 3.5 per cent compared to last year’s survey, which itself had recorded an improvement of 2.1 per cent on 2019.
“The successive year’s improvement equates to 139km of local road network being in better condition now than in 2019. The programme has been planned since April 2021.
“Works are not programmed for the winter months, when the weather is likely to be bad, or when it is expected roads will be at their busiest during summer months.
“By doing this, we hope to minimise disruption as much as possible for road users.”
