A816 finally cleared after rockfall last month

Loose stones and light debris fell from the hillside and moved beyond the centre line on the northbound carriageway of the road.

The road was briefly closed by Police Scotland as a precaution until a team from the council could attend at 4.30pm on the day it happened.

After assessing the damage, and clearing some of the debris, workers were able to open the southbound lane about an hour later using Stop/Go signs. Traffic lights were then set up and concrete blocks were put in place to protect single file traffic, against further movement.

Work to clear the debris began on Monday April 7, which included:

• Creating an earth ramp to get the machinery up the slope to begin work and remove the loose rock;
• Building ‘benches’ or flat steps into the slope so that any other loose rock will land on the flat areas and not fall onto the road;
• Clearing loose materials from the benches ; and
• Forming a row of concrete blocks, two metres offset from the road edge, at the bottom of the slope as a permanent barrier against further debris reaching the road.

The road is now back to two lanes with a two-metre verge to the blocks protecting the road from any further loose rocks.