Strathpeffer

What We Did

This work was required to resolve a conflict between a section of the sewer which was upgraded in 2018 and an underground electricity cable below the A834 at the foot of Garden House Brae.

The road was scheduled to be closed for up to three weeks but the team on site managed to complete the work more than a week early. The project was carried out on Scottish Water’s behalf by its alliance partner amey-binnies and contractor Morrison Construction.

Project Manager Sam Neill said:

“We understand the level of impact this road closure had for customers in the village and are very pleased that we have been able to complete our work more quickly than anticipated.

“The road is now back open as normal and we would like to thank residents and road users for their patience over the last two weeks while we completed this essential piece of work.

“It means that the benefits of our wider investment in the village’s sewer network in 2018 can be realised, ensuring the infrastructure continues to serve customers and protect the environment for a long time to come.”

Scottish Water Corporate Affairs Manager Gavin Steel added:

“Beyond carrying out this work at a quieter time of year, and working with the local community to mitigate its impact as far as we could, we asked the site team to take any opportunity to reduce the duration of the road closure. We’re very grateful to the team from Morrison Construction, supported by amey-binnies, for the efforts they’ve made to get the road back open in under two weeks.

“With the weekend coming up and the A834 back available for both local and longer journeys, local businesses in Strathpeffer are open as normal. We would very much encourage people to support them and take the chance to enjoy everything the village has to offer.”

Why We Did This

The location of this cable was not known in advance of the original upgrade in 2018 and unfortunately it was not possible to resolve the conflict safely at that time. Carrying out this work now will ensure the benefits of our earlier investment in the sewer network are realised – so that the village’s sewers can continue to serve customers and protect the environment for years to come. 

Following discussion with representatives of the community last year, we scheduled this work for a quieter time of year. We also put arrangements in place to mitigate the impact of the work as far as we could, particularly on school and public transport, while ensuring the final section of upgraded sewer was completed as quickly as possible to allow the road to reopen. 

We are grateful for the community’s understanding and the constructive feedback that we received while preparing for the work to take place.