Members of The Highland Council's Inverness City Committee were recently given a tour of the fourth and final phase of the South West Inverness flood relief channel works.

The contract is due for completion in late November 2012 and the contractor RJ MacLeod has already completed the works within Lochardil burn. They are now working on a number of fronts to complete the installation of buried concrete box sections adjacent to Slackbuie distributor road and adjacent to housing at Upper Slackbuie. In addition they are completing the works on open channel constructions and the intake structure in Ault na Skiah Burn above Fairways Golf Course.

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Phase 4 is the last part of a £16m scheme to protect 600 houses which are at risk of flooding on the south side of Inverness. The final phase of the flood relief channel lies between Old town of Leys and the Alt na Skiah Burn to the south of Fairways Golf course. The scheme intercepts four watercourses including: Lochardil burn, Slackbuie channel, Slackbuie springs and Alt na Skiah burn.

The total length of construction for this final phase is 1,400m. Approximately half of this will be buried precast concrete box culverts and the remainder will be open channel. The contract value is £6.57m.

Awarded in November 2011, the contract period is 12 months and construction is expected to be completed in late November 2012.

The works are being supervised by The Highland Council's TEC Services site team and the contract designs are Leeds-based AECOM.

(CD)