A number of options are to be discussed next week regarding the future operation of the Bervie Braes Road in Stonehaven.

The options will go before members of the Policy and Resources Committee.

For safety reasons, the road has been closed to traffic since 2009 after a major landslide on the Braes.

A total of eight options are now being considered for the future of the road, following the completion of a £3m programme of stabilisation works on Bervie Braes.

Independent consultant Jacobs were commissioned to assess the stability of the slope and the risk to road users – both vehicles and pedestrians – for each of the options.

The options range from retaining the road closure on a permanent basis (at a cost of £50k), to an earthworks re-grading scheme worth £1.9m.

-- Advertisement --

The option being recommended to Councillors for approval however, is option eight, which involves the part-time reopening of the road and installation of modular barriers at a cost of £300k.

Councillors are also being asked to set aside £300k from the current revenue monitoring forecast to fund the costs of the project.

The scheme would see the road open to vehicular traffic during the 'summer' period, when rainfall is likely to be at its lowest. When the road is open, a system would be put in place to trigger the closure of the road should there be concerns about the stability of the slope in the event of particularly heavy rainfall.

If the road is to reopen to any degree, Aberdeenshire Council will continue to monitor the usage of the road during the summer months, as well as the condition of the slope and the number and/or volume of any landslips.

Over the last 12 months, there have been eight landslides on the upper slopes of Bervie Braes. While none have caused significant amounts of debris to flow onto the road, they do confirm the instability of the upper slope.

All of the options assessed by Jacobs are preliminary and based on limited design information. If the decision is taken to progress any of the options, the estimated costs would be reviewed and refined, while the timescale for implementing the chosen option would be subject to completion of the detailed design.

(JP/CD)