BEAR Scotland has announced that a road surface improvement scheme for the A87 on the Isle of Skye will get underway on Monday 11 July.

The project will see a total of 1km of A87 resurfaced, with improvements being implemented at Blackhill Waterfall, Glenn Torra and Torra Michaig so to create a smoother and safer road for motorists.

The improvements will take up to five nights to complete, with works taking place between 8pm and 6am each night and finishing on the morning of Saturday 16 July subject to weather conditions.

Due to the narrow carriageway widths on the A87, and to protect roadworkers and road users, a full road closure will be implemented for the works. As there is no suitable diversion route for this section of the A87, vehicles will be held at either side of the work site until they can be escorted through the area safely using set amnesty periods (when work is suspended) at 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, 12am, 2am and 4am. The A87 will be open outwith working hours to keep disruption to a minimum, however a speed restriction of 30mph will remain in place as traffic will be running over a temporary surface.

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Access through the works site for emergency services will be maintained at all times.

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s North West Representative said: "These surfacing projects on the A87 will help address defects and greatly improve the surface for motorists.

"The overnight closures are essential for the safety of road workers and motorists due to the narrow widths of the road at these locations. We’ve taken steps to limit the overall impact of the project by carrying out the work overnight and by providing amnesty periods for traffic to pass.

"Our teams will do all they can to complete the works as quickly and safely as they can, and we thank the local community and road users for their patience in advance while we complete these works. We encourage motorists to plan ahead before setting out by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up-to-date travel information."