Project Details
Description
The proposed scheme is associated with the A9 530 Tummel retaining wall located on the River Tummel (grid reference NN 95204 56723) (refer to figure in Appendix A) 1.4km south-east of the town of Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross area. The works are to provide a permanent solution to alleviate fluvial erosion upstream of the A9 530 Tummel Bridge and the A9 Pitlochry South Junction. Following significant inclement weather in October 2023, a section of the riverbank was subjected to significant fluvial erosion from the River Tummel. This resulted in loss of a section of the engineered riverbank and partial loss of a farm track immediately adjacent to the Trunk Road slip road into Pitlochry. The embankment is currently supported by a gabion wall and a gabion mattress bank revetment. In addition, rock bags have been installed as a temporary solution.
The proposed permanent retaining wall will be constructed along the eastern (left) bank of the River Tummel, at the toe of the existing earthwork slope which will also be partially reconstructed as part of the works. The structure is to be a circa 115m long contiguous piled wall comprising driven steel tubular piles. The wall retention height will vary over the length of the wall and range from around 3m at the upstream end (and over most of the wall length) to 0.5m at the downstream end. The wall will be supporting the private farm access track and the A9 off-slip road. Existing temporary rock bags will be removed and the riverbank embankment behind the newly formed retaining wall will be reinstated with granular fill and rock armour revetment. A filter geotextile will wrap around the lower rock armour and will be a Geofabrics HPS6 or Terram RG6 or similar. The farm track will be reinstated and a new vehicle restraint system (VRS) will be installed at the crest of the riverbank embankment.
The wall will be designed to withstand lateral earth pressures and traffic loadings and has a design working life of 120 years.
Access to the site is proposed from the A9 Pitlochry South Junction Northbound Offslip road. The slip road will require traffic management to close the slip road for the duration of the works.
In 2025, Ground Investigation (GI) works were undertaken to inform the proposed permanent repair design.
It is anticipated that the site works would commence in June 2026 with in-channel works commencing in July 2026. The in-channel working period has been estimated to be 2.5 months and the overall works estimated to take five months to complete.
Location
The proposed scheme is located at the eastern (left) bank of the River Tummel, approximately 1.4km south-east of the town of Pitlochry in the Perth and Kinross Council area.