Progress being made to secure A9 landslip site at Scrabster
ENGINEERS believe they have found a solution to secure a brae at Scrabster following a landslip near the port almost two months ago.
Three hundred tonnes of soil fell onto the A9 during the incident on March 3 and debris has continued to fall, with the road restricted to one lane and temporary traffic lights in operation.
A spokeswoman for roads operator Bear Scotland said it is still in discussion about the cost of the repair with contractors and Transport Scotland.
But she said they will be looking to remove traffic lights as soon as possible.
She said: “Good progress has been made regarding the next stage of securing the slope above the A9 at Scrabster. A design solution has been identified and together with Transport Scotland we are liaising with the local landowner to access the land to begin to carry out a repair.

“We are in the process of formalising this prior to commencing work using a specialist contractor.
“We are working to have the temporary traffic signals, in place for safety, removed as soon as possible, and we will keep stakeholders informed of any progress.”
Scrabster Harbour Trust said operations have been able to continue as normal despite the temporary traffic lights.
Trust manager Sandy Mackie said it is working with Bear Scotland and Transport Scotland and he hopes work can be carried out before summer.
“The temporary traffic measures at Scrabster have not been a problem to date,” he said. “The only impediment has been additional time entering or leaving the harbour. This is not causing any problems but clearly it is something we want to see restored.
“We have assisted Bear Scotland and Transport Scotland by making contact with the landowners.
“What we have said to both bodies is we don’t want a situation similar to what occurred 10 years ago when there were temporary lights for four months.
“We are now moving towards the tourist season, the port is going to get busier with vehicle traffic.
“We’re encouraging them to get an earlier resolution to get the barriers and lights removed as soon as possible.
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“Hopefully everything will be place for the work to be done but we are waiting for a date for when that is going to be.”
Mr Mackie said the trust does not see the landslip as a major problem as they do not happen regularly.
“The topography at Scrabster is not a huge problem and periodically it is something which can happen,” he said.
“The last one was a decade ago. Provided it is not a major thing, it is something we can cope with.”