Progress on new Cullivoe road project
Construction work on the new alignment began in April
CONSTRUCTION work on the alignment of the new road to Cullivoe in Yell is underway.
The long-awaited project received the final go-ahead from councillors last year, coming with an estimated cost of £13.3 million.
However around £2.4 million of this covers asphalt surfacing which will be carried out in-house by the Shetland Islands Council’s (SIC) roads team, which comes from existing budgets.
The project will construct a new two-lane road from Gutcher to Cullivoe.
The existing road, which is deteriorating in condition, is an important link to Cullivoe Pier, which is used by the aquaculture and fishing industries.
Roads manager Neil Hutcheson said construction work on the new alignment got underway on 6 April.
The main site compound including the contractor’s office and welfare facilities were established at the back of the Cullivoe pier in March. CW Johnson Plant Ltd was awarded the civil work contract.
“Initial works concentrated on the diversion of existing utilities including the water main and overhead power lines,” Hutcheson said.
“This work will continue until the end of June with telecom diversions beginning in mid-May.
“The new road alignment has been cleared of peat, down to suitable material, over a length of approximately 400 metres.
“This includes an area near the new road’s junction with the A968 Ulsta to Gutcher road which will be used as a laydown area for materials.”
Meanwhile the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA) team have been on-site to investigate pre-identified sites of interest.
Their work is ongoing and there is an archaeological watching brief in place with the excavations being monitored as required.
Hutcheson said a feature, which may be a prehistoric enclosure wall, has been excavated by ORCA and as a result further archaeological digs in its immediate are now planned.
He also said the project site is being monitored for nesting birds by the ecological clerk of works.
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“To date this has resulted in the cessation of work in one area due to implementation of an exclusion zone,” Hutcheson added.
“Fencing of the extents of the new road is currently being erected throughout the site to ensure that the adjacent parks are stockproof.
“Works are now proceeding to the north of the Loch of Garth, with peat and glacial till materials to be excavated on the new road alignment.”
The project was mooted in the council chamber as far back as 2019, when the capital cost was estimated at around £4.3 million.
A safety check prior to this identified a number of concerns including the “substandard width of the road, the very poor condition of the carriageway and the lack of safety barriers at locations where national guidance deems them necessary”.
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