Roads update for week starting 8 April 2024

A summing up of road works and closures underway or soon to start in the county - for the week starting Monday 8 April 2024.

Road works, closures and delays:

Kirkwall Slab Repairs

Works are currently planned to start during week commencing Monday 8 April 2024, for a duration of three weeks. There will be road closures in place whilst works are ongoing. Pedestrian access will be maintained. It’s planned to open up affected sections of road at nights and the weekends where possible. Delivery drivers should speak to site foreperson to arrange access. Residents should present waste and recycling as usual.

• Week 1 – Bridge Street to the bottom of Laing Street – starting 8 April.
• Week 2 – The bottom of Laing Street to Broad Street– Starting 15 April
• Week 3 – Victoria Street – Starting 22 April

A964 bends at Scapa Distillery

Reconstruction work at the bend opposite access to Scapa Distillery started on 4 April 2024, with the work being carried out under traffic lights with short delays for all traffic including No 2 Houton Ferry bus service. Work is expected to take around a week to complete.

A964 between Smoogro Road to Orphir Village

Carriageway repairs are planned to start during week commencing 8 April 2024 (following completion of work at Scapa Distillery bends), on the A964 in Orphir. Carriageway repairs to address defects and potholes will take place on the 2 mile stretch between the 30mph signs on the east (Kirkwall) side of Orphir village and the junction with Smoogro Road. Work is expected to take several weeks to complete and at times will involve full but short duration road closures – however work will mostly be carried out under traffic lights, with some delays to all traffic including the No 2 Houton Ferry bus service. Smoogro Road will remain open for use by vehicles throughout the works.

Laing Street, Kirkwall

Laing Street is closed to all traffic to enable new utility services to the Old Library building - residents should present their recycling / waste bins as normal for collection.

Groatsetter Road & Shore Road, Tankerness - road closures (part of wider Scottish Water works on/in A960, St Andrews and Toab)

Scottish Water will be working on Groatsetter Road and Shore Road in April 2024, under road closure conditions, affecting all local traffic and the No 3 Deerness via Tankerness bus service. Residents should present their recycling / waste bins as normal for collection.

The work on Groatsetter Road started on 1 April 2024, near its junction with A960 and also near the junction with Shore Road – both under road closure conditions. The A960 and Shore Road will remain open for this phase of the works. The No 3 Deerness via Tankerness bus service will divert its route from Shore Road at Churchyard Road (Tankerness Hall Road) to avoid Groatsetter Road.

Work on Shore Road in the vicinity of its junction with Groatsetter Road is planned to take place 11 and 12 April 2024, under road closure conditions, and will affect the No 3 Deerness via Tankerness bus service. During these works, the bus will go into Tankerness via Tankerness Hall Road (airport side) as far as the junction with Shore Road (near Shelia Fleet Kirk Gallery and Cafe) and turn there, returning to the A960 the same way it came. It will not be able to serve Shore Road or Groatsetter Road.

Looking Ahead:

Holm Road (A961), Kirkwall at Highland Park Distillery

To enable Highland Park Distillery carry out maintenance works there will be multiple short duration road closures from 15 April 2024 to early November 2024. The current plan is that the closures will be up to a maximum duration of 20 minutes and carried out to avoid school transport, ferry traffic, commuter traffic and bus services. Further updates will be provided as and when available.

Looking Further Ahead:

Surface Dressing 2024

We will be carrying out some surface dressing related works this year between mid May and early August. Initially between mid May and mid June we will be carrying out preparatory works with the actual surfacing dressing works currently planned to commence on Monday 24 June 2024, the approximate site locations are as noted below. Further detail of traffic management to be used and dates for the various sites will be provided in due course.

• A966, Birsay
• Hundland Road, Birsay
• Netherbrough Road, Harray
• Stoneyhill Road, Harray
• East Road, Kirkwall
• Foreland Road, Kirkwall
• Marwick Drive, Kirkwall
• Mooney Drive, Kirkwall
• Germistion Road, Orphir
• A967, Sandwick
• Brodgar Road, Sandwick
• Swartland Road, Sandwick
• A961, South Ronaldsay
• Shore Road, St Andrews
• Garson Road, Stromness