Smelter Roundabout

Advance direction sign on the A82

The Smelter Roundabout was built over the summer of 2017 at the entrance to the Lochaber Smelter in Fort William. Whilst it serves the smelter, the main reason fir its installation is to provide access to the new retail park being built alongside. The signage does not mention a junction name, but it is already being referred to locally as both the Smelter Roundabout and the (New) Retail Park Roundabout.

The junction is a four arm roundabout, with the A82 running South West - North East, and both the other accesses on the eastern side. The pre-existing Smelter access heads east, whilst the new retail park access heads south east. The A82 has been very slightly realigned on the southern approach to the junction, and in order to accommodate these works, the road was temporarily realigned onto a somewhat wiggly section of road to the west. This necessitated a substantial section of the adjacent bank to be cut away, and fed traffic back at the new roundabout, or just beyond, with the routing around the junction varied as works progressed, but maintaining access to the Smelter at all times.

The land used to build the roundabout in part at least comprises the space of the old smelter junction, which was a triangular junction. Immediately to the east, the road starts to climb over the railway bridge, and this has resulted in the roundabout being built at a slight camber.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
A82	Inverness , Mallaig (A830)
A82	Town Centre, Crianlarich
	Lochaber Smelter
	Retail Park