Description of local environment

Air quality

The scheme is not located within any Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) as declared by the Highland Council and no air quality monitoring stations are located within 50km of the works (Air Quality Scotland).

There are no sites registered on the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) (Scotland’s Environment) for air pollutant releases within 10km of the scheme.

Baseline air quality within the scheme extent is likely to be primarily influenced by trunk road traffic and marine traffic in the area.

Cultural heritage

A search of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) mapping tool Pastmap did not highlight any Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments, Garden and Designed Landscapes, Conservation Areas, Battlefields, or World Heritage Sites within 300m of the scheme extents.

Of lesser cultural heritage interest, Carrich Bridge (Code: MHG17575) is a feature of cultural heritage recorded on the Historic Environment Record (HER). The bridge is not a scheduled monument/listed building and does not have a protected status. There are also several features of cultural heritage listed on the HER and the National Historic Record of the Environment (NHRE) databases located within 300m of the scheme. The closest being 240m away from the scheme start point, Plock of Skye (ID: 72657).

The construction of the A87 trunk road and associated infrastructure will likely have exposed any potential items of cultural heritage interest present within the upper engineered layers, and as such, the likelihood of presence of undiscovered features is considered low.

Landscape and visual effects

The scheme does not fall within a National Park (NP) or National Scenic Area (NSA) (SiteLink).

Carrich Bridge itself is not assigned a The Landscape Character Type (LCT), however the closest village to the scheme extents, Kyle of Lochalsh and the Mainland Skye are ‘ Farmed and Settled Lowlands – Skye and Lochalsh (LCT No. 357).

Land use surrounding the scheme extents is a mixture of recreation area on the Eilean island, managed woodlands, urban areas, opencast site, rough grazing and plantations (HLA Map).

The A87 Trunk Road connects Invergarry, Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye (Portree and Uig). It commences at the A87 / A82 junction at Invergarry leading generally north-westwards for a distance of 160 kilometres to the pier at Uig on the Isle of Skye. The A87 is a single carriageway along its length.

Biodiversity

The A87 Carrich Bridge spans the Kyle Akin, which connects the Inner Sound northwest of the bridge with Loch Alsh to the east. This water body forms part of several designated sites, including Inner Hebrides and the Minches Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Loch Carron Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (NC MPA), and Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh Reefs SAC and Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh NC MPA (SiteLink).

A Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) Proforma was completed as part of the 10-year Marine Licence to assess the impacts of various planned works on the Carrich bridge over the upcoming years. This Marine Licence was granted on the 10th April 2025, and works covered by this Licence include these ducting works. NatureScot were consulted as part of the HRA process. As such, these works have already been assessed under the Habitats Regulations, and no further assessment is required. Conclusions of the HRA can be viewed in the Environmental Impacts for Biodiversity Section below.

There are no Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), National Nature Reserves, or Local Nature Reserves (LNR) within 300m of the scheme (SiteLink).

Numerous bird species were recorded on the NBN Atlas within 2km over a ten-year period. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) (WCA), all wild birds and their active nests are protected, with certain species receiving additional protections.

The NBN Atlas holds the following record of invasive and injurious plant species (as listed in the Network Management Contract (NMC)), using the same search criteria as above:

  • Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum)

There is also record of the invasive non-native mammal species, the American mink (Neovison vison), recorded within 2km of the scheme.

A search of Transport Scotland’s Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) was used to check for records of invasive and injurious plant species (as listed in the NMC). No records were found within 300m of the scheme extents; however, one record of invasive non-native species (INNS) Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) was recorded approximately 400m north from the scheme.

There are no Ancient woodlands (Ancient Woodland Inventory Scotland) within 300m of the scheme extents.

There are no Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) present within 300m of the scheme (Highland Council Tree Preservation Orders).

Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEA) were carried out on the A87 Carrich bridge on 12/03/2025 and 13/03/2025 by BEAR Scotland.

Geology and soils

There are no Geological Conservation Review Sites (GCRSs) or Geological SSSIs located within 300m of the scheme (SiteLink).

Bedrock geology at the scheme extent is described as Applecross Formation – Sandstone, which is sedimentary bedrock. No superficial deposits are recorded within the scheme extents (British Geological Society).

Soils within the scheme extent are recorded as being peaty gleys with dystrophic semi-confined peat with peaty rankers (Scotland’s Soils).

The soils within the scheme extent are recorded as being of Carbon and Peatland ‘Class 5’, which is associated with soils that are peat soils with no peatland vegetation, as displayed on Scotland’s Peat Map (Scotland’s Carbon and Peat Map).

Material assets and waste

The proposed works on A87 Carrich Bridge are required to carry a new electricity cable across the bridge to Eilean Ban for SSE. The following materials will be used to complete the works:

  • Flanged galvanised steel pipes
  • Fixings/bolts

No waste materials are expected as no drilling or removal of material is required.

Noise and vibration

Noise modelled data from Environmental Noise Directive (END) Round 4 Noise Mapping Indicates 24 hour annual average noise level for during the day, evening and night (LDEN) between 55dB and 70dB on the A87 at the scheme location (Scotland's Noise).

Given the rural nature of the area, it is considered likely that the baseline noise levels will be moderate, with noise mainly influenced by vehicles travelling along the bridge. Secondary sources are derived from day-to-day land management activities and water traffic and the surrounding settlements.

In 2024, the average daily traffic (ADT) flow recorded at a Traffic Scotland Manual Count Point on the A87 trunk road within Kyle of Lochalsh (Site Name: JTC00147), accounted for 5,218 vehicles, including 17.6% heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

Population and human health

There are no residential or commercial properties located within 300m of the proposed works.

The scheme lies approxiamtely 660m west from the village of Kyle of Lochalsh and 960m east of the mainland of the Isle of Skye. There is a minimal level of acoustic and visual screening present between the bridge and this settlement.

There are no National Cycle Network (NCN) routes within 300m of the scheme extents (OS Maps).

There are no routes listed on WalkHighlands within 300m of the scheme.

There are no Core Paths within 300m of the scheme (The Highland Council).

While there are no walking routes listed on WalkHighlands or core paths within the scheme extent, there is a paved pedestrian footpath that lies adjacent to and runs parallel with the eastbound carriageway throughout the scheme extent. There are no bus stops or other pedestrian facilities along the A87 throughout the scheme extent.

Traffic management will include temporary single lane closure with traffic lights and stop/go board control when constructing the chambers and installing the duct to the left-hand soffit.

Road drainage and the water environment

The A87 Carrich Bridge spans the Kyle Akin, which connects the Inner Sound (ID: 200491) northwest of the bridge with Loch Alsh (ID: 200352) to the east. Loch Alsh is a coastal water body that was classified by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC in 2023 as having an overall status of ‘Good’ (Water Classification Hub). The Inner Sound is also a coastal water body which is located just north of the bridge. It was classified by SEPA in 2023 as having an overall status of ‘High’ (Water Classification Hub).

The eastern end of the bridge lies within the Wester Ross, Assynt and Kintail (ID: 150700) groundwater body, and the western end lies within Skye South (ID: 150675), both of which were classified by SEPA in 2023 as having ‘Good’ condition (Water Classification Hub).

The A87 within the scheme extent is not at risk of flooding (SEPA Flood Map).

As the A87 Carrich Bridge spans an area seaward of Mean High Water Springs (MHWS), works on the bridge are subject to marine licence requirements.

In 2025, BEAR Scotland was granted a 10-year marine licence (MS-00011008) by Marine Directorate to permit a range of maintenance works on the A87 Carrich Bridge. The ducting works as included within this RoD are included within this Licence. This licence remains valid until 9th April 2035.

Climate

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 (‘The Act’), and its subsequent amendment under the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019, sets the framework for the Scottish Government to address climate change. The Act has an ambitious target to reach Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, with any residual emissions balanced by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This is five years earlier than the rest of the UK due to the greater potential for carbon sequestration in Scotland.

The Act was amended to replace interim targets with carbon budgets. Carbon budgets are legally binding caps on greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland over five-year periods. In line with the Act, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) published advice on the level of Scotland’s four carbon budgets, covering the period 2026 to 2045, recommending what the Scottish Government sets its carbon budgets at for annual average levels of emissions. These recommendations are based on an ambitious but credible route to Net Zero for Scotland by 2045.

Emissions reductions from surface transport are the largest contribution to meeting the first two carbon budgets. The pathway for surface transport emission reduction is primarily driven by the uptake of electric vehicles, in addition to measures to enable a shift from car use to public transport and active travel, which all play a role in reducing emissions from fossil fuel cars. Ensuring efficiency of existing transport infrastructure and improving/providing new active travel facilities is therefore important to support these carbon reduction budgets.

Transport is the largest contributor to harmful climate emissions in Scotland. In response to the climate emergency, Transport Scotland are committed to reducing their emissions by 75% by 2030 and to the above noted legally binding target of net-zero by 2045. Transport Scotland is committed to reducing carbon across Scotland’s transport network and this commitment is being enacted through the Mission Zero for Transport (Mission Zero for transport | Transport Scotland).

Policies and plans

This Record of Determination has been undertaken in accordance with all relevant regulations, guidance, policies and plans, notably including the Environment and Sustainability Discipline of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB)) and Transport Scotland's Environmental Impact Assessment Guidance (Guidance - Environmental Impact Assessments for road projects (transport.gov.scot)).