Friday 29 March 2024
 6.5°C   ENE Moderate Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Council / Full council backs Levenwick road upgrade plan

The A970 at Levenwick. Photo © David Dixon (cc-by-sa/2.0)

PROPOSALS for potential improvements to the A970 at Levenwick are to progress to the next stage.

Councillors gave their backing to the project at a meeting on Wednesday morning.

An initial strategic outline case on the proposal went in front of the full Shetland Islands Council, and its preferred option is to widen the road and install barriers at a cost of around £3.3 million.

Safety concerns have been raised for a number of years, with the accident rate greater than national and local averages.

With a width of around 5.4 metres, compared to the current design standard of 6.8 metres, it is among the narrowest sections of two-lane road in Shetland.

Road safety improvements on the carriageway has been a long-held quest for Shetland South member Allison Duncan.

He told Wednesday’s meeting that the council should press ahead with the preferred option.

As it stands the £3.3 million would have to be paid for through borrowing, and a report to elected members said this would result in “additional annual revenue borrowing costs of £154k per year over the next 60 years”.

It did mention, however, that if external grant funding can be sourced the borrowing cost would be reduced. This is an “aspiration” for the council, manager of assets, commissioning and procurement Robert Sinclair said.

Duncan though said “we will never borrow the money any cheaper” than at the moment.

Fellow south member George Smith, meanwhile, encouraged council officers to use “imagination and creativity” in looking at funding capital projects.

“Let’s rise to the challenge,” he said.

But the state of some of the roads in the Westside was raised again by representatives Catherine Hughson and Theo Smith.

Hughson said the road between Haggersta and Cova, and carriageway in Walls, need close attention.

The west was becoming a “poor relation” to the rest of Shetland, and she claimed that it appeared it would need a fatality or a road issue before work was done.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

 

Theo Smith said he was “really quite aghast” that the Haggersta/Cova road was placed down the list of major road upgrade priorities.

“I would like to see this be given another review,” he said.

Levenwick is second on the list behind Cullivoe in Yell, which has already been approved.

Council leader Steven Coutts, who also represents the west, did note about investing in the Walls pier but not the surrounding road network.

But he said the current council has developed a strategic road network plan, which was not in place before.

During the meeting Lerwick member Amanda Hawick asked if cycling, for instance, was being taken into account in the planning. She pointed to Faroe’s “amazing road network” as a blueprint.

Neil Hutcheson of the road service said council’s recently approved active travel strategy means walking and cycling paths need to be considered.

Meanwhile the plans for the Levenwick road will have go through a number of stages before it can receive the final go-ahead.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.

Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has  over 600 supporters  who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.

Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -

  • Bring you the headlines as they happen;
  • Stay editorially independent;
  • Give a voice to the community;
  • Grow site traffic further;
  • Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.

 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

We're committed to ensuring everyone has equitable access to impartial, open and quality local journalism that benefits all residents.

By supporting Shetland News, you play a vital role in ensuring we remain a pivotal resource in supporting the community.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.