Project Details

Description

BEAR Scotland has been commissioned by Transport Scotland to undertake electrical ducting works on the A87 Carrich Bridge, which is adjacent to the A87 Skye Bridge. The existing power supply cable for the A87 Skye and Carrich Bridges belongs to Transport Scotland and currently also supplies power to Otter Cottage located on Eilean Ban, the island which links the two bridges. Responsibility for supplying power to Otter Cottage is being transferred from Transport Scotland to the energy provider Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), and SSE have advised that a new cable is required for this purpose. As there is no room to place the new power cable within the interior of the A87 Carrich Bridge, the works will entail installation of a galvanised steel duct on the underside of the bridge to carry the new electric cable (11.5 kilovolt-amps [KVa]) across the Carrich bridge to Eilean Ban.

The duct will be fixed to existing channels within the bridge soffit of the uplink footway using mechanical fixings (clamps and bolts); therefore, drilling is not required to fix new brackets. The new duct will extend beyond both bridge abutments on the uplink (south) side of the bridge. This will allow SSE to continue running the new cable both east and west of the bridge. Attachment of the new duct to the bridge will be carried out from the A87 either via a mobile elevated working platform (MEWP) with underbridge extension capabilities or via a portable scaffold unit suspended over the side of the bridge, as access below the bridge deck will be required. Traffic management (TM) is expected to consist of a lane closure with temporary traffic lights in place. A site compound will be situated in the large layby opposite the old toll house, with access via the TM and aforementioned underbridge units.

The works are currently programmed to be completed within the 2025/2026 financial year, with an estimated start date of January 2026 (however this is subject to change). Works are expected to be completed over 2-3 weeks by utilising night-time working hours; however, the programme has not yet been finalised and if changes are required, the works may be carried out during daylight hours.

Location

The A87 Carrich Bridge spans the Kyle Akin marine waterbody between mainland Scotland and Eilean Ban, a small island between the mainland and the Isle of Skye. The A87 Carrich Bridge is located west of Kyle of Lochalsh on the western coast of Scotland, northeast of the A87 Skye Bridge (Figure 1). The scheme will be 250m in length and extend from National Grid Reference (NGR) NG 75133 27348 to NG 74944 27285.