I think this might be the "spud leg barge" mentioned.

Getting an error message with that:
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Why not just build a bridge and forget about the slipways?!

Exactly what I was thinking... £2m towards a bridge would go quite far.

How much would a bridge cost? I would have thought it would be considerably more than that.

It has to be sufficiently high to allow ships to pass under.

The Skye Bridge was reported to have cost £39 million, so with inflation since then you would probably be looking at not far short of £100 million.

I was thinking it would be well up towards that though presumably at least twice that by time built.

As I recall, the A87 from Kyle of Lochalsh to the bridge itself was paid for through a grant - the building cost was more in the region of around 25 million or so.

The MCA have put a 3 ton limit and daylight use only restriction on the spud leg barge because it is the first time that it has been used by the public. It is hoped these restrictions can be removed once they have seen it in use. The barge is apparently ex US Army.

In the P&J

Doesn't really deserve its own thread - whats road access like to Fort Bill in the winter? How often does the A82 over Glencoe shut and is the alternate A9/A887/A86 road open or does that get shut as well?

Looking at long weekend dates in February, and it would be just my look to find the place inaccessible!

The A82 does not tend to closed very often, I think there were a few brief closures last Winter but that were some hesvy snowfalls - the railway line was blocked for about a week near Tyndrum.

The A9 is probably closed more often than the A82.

The A9 rises to about 460m at Drumochter. The A82 doesn't get above 350m. Also, I would think that the snow probably lasts longer further east along the A9 away from the milder Atlantic influence. In my experience the lower lying areas reasonably close to the west coast are remarkably mild in winter.

I think it is more to do with the A9 being further inland and further East. The Grampian area often gets snow early in the Winter well before we have anything significant here. Nevis Range is rarely able to open before well into January whilst the Cairngorms can be open for skiing at Christmas.

There can be drifts at the summit South East of Kingshouse but quite often there is nothing along there when the A9 has lying snow.

There is more often snow lying around Tyndrum and Crianlarich, it can last as hard packed snow at the side of the road for weeks when the road over Glencoe is completely clear and the only snow is on the hills.

That's what I said : "further east" and "away from the milder Atlantic influence" ie. inland.

I was just showing that height is not always the main factor. We used to go up tracks onto the tops of hills with my work, quite often the worst sections could be on the lower parts of the track and public roads whilst the parts on top of the hill were clear of snow and ice though if it did drift then it could freeze solid and be impassable!

We have lorries coming to the shop every day from Glasgow, and there was only one day last winter when they were noticeably late. Rannoch Moor was closed a couple of times last winter, and once the year before. The long closures always seem to be the last week in Feb / first in March when I'm down south .
When it is closed, the lorries seem to come A85/A828 rather than any other route. Never known that route closed by weather.

The JST “spud leg barge” pier facility waiting to be put into place tonight alonmg with the preparatory work for it and temporary access road.

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