Roads update for week starting Monday 27 May 2024

A look ahead at road closures and delays due to works, events and cruise to bear in mind from the week starting Monday 27 May 2024.

Events: 

There will be road closures in central Stromness from Thursday, 23 May 2024 to Monday 27 May 2024, for the Orkney Folk Festival. Closures will affect Ferry Road, Victoria Street, John Street as well as some parking bays. For more details read the public notice. 

Road works

A964 between Smoogro Road to Orphir Village

Works started on 12 April 2024 to address defects on a two mile stretch of the A964 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.

Holm Road (A961), Kirkwall

To enable maintenance works at the Highland Park Distillery 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 with the closures being carried out at times to try and avoid school transport, ferry traffic, commuter traffic and bus services.

A960, St Andrews and Toab 

Scottish Water may install temporary traffic lights on the A960 (Kirkwall to Deerness road) between the B9052 (the road past St Andrews Primary School) and the Stembister Road during the next few weeks as their work in the area progresses. This may involve short delays for the No3 bus service (Deerness – Tankerness) and to general traffic in the area.

Whitechapel Lane, Kirkwall

Whitechapel Lane will close from 1 May 2024 to 31 December 2024, between Victoria Street and Junction Road, as needed for property building works. View the traffic order here.

Looking Ahead:

Surface Dressing 2024

Preparatory works have started on our surface dressing sites for this year, with much of the works being carried out on the quieter roads under short duration road closures. Further information will be provided on the proposed traffic management for the busier roads in due course.

The surface dressing works are scheduled to start on Monday 24 June 2024, the approximate site location are as noted below. Further details of traffic management and dates for the various surface dressing 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

Cruise

Closures in central Kirkwall in relation to cruise liner visits are:

• 28 May 2024 - Albert Street, Bridge Street, Broad Street, Castle Street (car park exit to Broad Street), Palace Road (Watergate to Broad Street), Tankerness Lane (One Way section) and Victoria Street will close between the hours of 10am and 4pm.
• Please note the closure which had been scheduled for 30 May 2024 has been cancelled.

You can preview the anticipated closures for this season, in our public notice (traffic order).