Estimated cost of preferred option for upgrade of road into Walls rises to more than £15m
Warnings remain over sustainable levels of borrowing
CONSTRUCTING a new two-lane road in several sections from the West Burrafirth junction to Walls has been given an estimated capital cost of more than £15 million.
However there is a recommendation that work on the proposal is not taken forward at this time until a “sustainable level of borrowing can be determined”.
With borrowing on other projects such as the new Fair Isle ferry scheme and Cullivoe road, and Shetland Islands Council (SIC) already deemed to be financially unsustainable, it is likely that the local authority will have to take “strategic decisions” on how to prioritise programmes of work.
An outline business case (OBC) on a new A971 road alignment in the Westside is set to go in front of councillors at a couple of upcoming meetings, with the first being the policy and resources committee on Thursday.
The preferred option is the construction of a re-aligned two-lane road in several sections, which would come with an estimated capital cost of £15.2 million, to be funded largely by borrowing. The road could be constructed in stages.
However, when adding in revenue borrowing costs to the construction and maintenance, the overall price tag raises to £51.5 million over a 60-year lifespan.
The OBC said safety concerns have been raised about the single-track road by the Walls and Sandness Community Council, with the Murraster Bend being of particular concern, while Shetland West councillors have also raised the topic.
The roads service itself is “concerned about the potential for a serious road accident” at Murraster where the A971 road narrows from two-lanes to single track.
“The case for improving the road has been strengthened by the road safety check and a better understanding of the journey time savings that would result, over the scheme’s design life, from the two-lane widening of the carriageway,” the OBC added.
The report said the road has a single track width varying from 2.8 metres to three metres, with the design standard currently 3.3 metres.
Verges are also narrow in places, below the “desirable minimum” width.
The edges of the section between Walls and the Brig o’ Walls are consistently overrun and need regular repair, while also causing safety concerns.
There are also blind bends and blind summits, and 17 passing places narrower than the minimum design standard of 5.5 metres.
The OBC highlights that the road serves a wide range of facilities, from piers, salmon farms and businesses to homes, primary schools, a health centre and a care home.
Cooke Aquaculture uses the Walls pier to supply salmon farms in Vaila Sound and Gruting Voe, with an annual average of 125 HGVs heading out of Walls for processing.
Shetland Mussels Ltd also produces between 1,600 and 2,000 tonnes of mussels from Vaila Sound and Grouting Voe, equating to around 125 truckloads a year.
The traffic volume on the section of the A971 at Murraster is in the region of 930 vehicles per day, while on the approach into Walls it is around 600.
The OBC says the road was possible constructed in the 1850s, with the only improvements since then coming in surfacing, localised widening and passing places.
The increased number of HGVs using the road has caused deterioration over time.
An upgrade came close to happening in the past but was postponed following a change in asset investment policy.
The warning over sustainable borrowing echoes the message given to councillors on the topic in 2023.
Also in 2023 Westside councillor Liz Peterson won a vote 14-5 to progress the project to the next stage of the business case process.
She had said that “it has to be driven on to be believed”, and described it as in a “very, very poor state”.
Her ward colleague Mark Robinson also warned that communities of Walls and Sandness could “die” without a useable road.
A new road into Cullivoe in Yell is the SIC’s top major road project priority, with contractors now on site. An upgrade to the road in Levenwick has also been placed as next in line.
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