A RANGE of options that could cost more than £100 million and include a tunnel, bridge and a new road are to be considered as a long-term solution to rockfalls that closed a vital route for four months.
The A890 in the West Highlands was closed by a landslide on the south side of Loch Carron three days before Christmas and didn't fully reopen until April 23. It was the latest in a series of such disruptions since the road opened in 1969.
Motorists faced a 130-mile detour by Beauly and Loch Ness to get from one side of the sea loch to the other until a ferry service, withdrawn more than 40 years ago, began running again.
The overall cost to Highland Council of dealing with the recent rockfall, including the ferries and additional train service, is estimated at £2.8m.
Proposals for providing a long-term solution to the problems will be examined at a public meeting in the village of Lochcarron, later this month.
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