Three months of Dales Lees cabling work to affect HGVs
HEAVY goods vehicles (HGVs) will again be restricted on the A968 Dales Lees road this summer, with diversions in place, as cabling work resumes.
SSEN Distribution said the essential works will take place from 6 July for a period of 12 weeks.
It comes after previous disruption on the road for cabling installation, with at one point it being closed to all traffic.
The work is part of SSEN’s Shetland North reinforcement project, which has caused significant disruption between Tingwall and the North Mainland over a number of months as a result of cable installation in roads.
Covering up the trenches have resulted in at-times bumpy surfaces for drivers, but SSEN has reiterated that it will eventually be undertaking a full-lane resurfacing of road where cabling has been installed underneath.
SSEN said the latest disruption on the A968 – which is well used for traffic heading to the Toft ferry terminal for onward travel to the North Isles – has been timed to coincide with the start of the school summer holidays, when “traffic levels will likely be lower”.
The energy firm said that while the road will not be closed to all traffic, restrictions are required which will prohibit heavy goods vehicles from the part of the route while works are underway.
“The only feasible and safe way to allow the route to remain open for most traffic is to restrict the movement of HGVs – this is due to the width of the carriageway,” the company said.
“Fully signposted diversions will be in place. Traffic lights will be in place to regulate the flow of permitted traffic through the roadworks.”
SSEN also said cable installation works will begin on 13 July on a route between Ladies Drive on the outskirts of Lerwick and Windy Grind.
Work on this phase of the project will be completed by the end of November.
No vehicle restrictions will be in place along this route, and traffic lights will be in place to regulate the flow of traffic through the roadworks.
From 6 July at the Sandwater junction SSEN will be using a horizontal direction drill to install new cable ducting under the carriageway.
SSEN said this avoids the need to excavate a trench in the road itself.
“However, for the safety of road users and staff working on the route, three-way traffic lights will be in place for the duration of the works, with no vehicle restrictions in place,” the company said.
SSEN Distribution’s project manager Steven Cowie said: “From day one, we’ve been committed to carrying out these essential works in a safe and as timely manner as possible, and we aim to have all our cables installed in the public highways by the end of this year.
“Once these works are complete, we’ve agreed with Shetland Islands Council to deliver a full-lane resurfacing of the whole route where it lies beneath the roadway, to make absolutely sure the surface in place after works are completed is as least as good as what was there before the project commenced.
“This will necessitate another temporary round of roadworks, but will deliver the long-term benefits road users and the local authority expect.
“While we appreciate that traffic lights can sometimes cause slight delays to people’s day-to-day routines, they are in place for everyone’s safety we ask for road users’ patience and care as they navigate parts of the route where they’re in operation.”
SSEN said the reinforcement project, which got under way last year, will “increase network capacity, thus supporting the installation of low carbon technologies such as heat pumps and EV chargers in customers’ homes”.
It will also enable Sullom Voe Terminal, which has its own gas-fired power station, to take electricity from the grid.
A major part of the project is the installation of two new 43km underground cables between Sullom Voe and Gremista in Lerwick.
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