Road heading for early finish

CONSTRUCTION of a relief road for the Forres (River Findhorn and Pilmuir) Flood Alleviation Scheme is ahead of schedule and could be open by the spring.

Workers have been building the road which runs alongside the A96 opposite the Greshop Industrial Estate since before Christmas.

And while the rest of the UK was experiencing horrendous weather, a period of milder weather around Forres meant that Morrison Construction were able to push ahead with the first phase of the final stage.

“We are ahead of our programme at the moment but we cannot confirm if the relief road will definitely be finished before the scheduled April date,” said Project Manager, Barbara Hellet. “There has been no bad weather so far but it is to be expected at some point. We’ve had no delays up until now and everything is going well.”

A relief road is required between the edge of the Pilmuir estate and before the turn off to Mundole while a 400m length of the A96 trunk road is raised beside the River Findhorn over the top of the new flood defence. A junction for construction traffic crossing from the portocabins and car park to the work site will feature with temporary traffic lights. A 30mph speed restriction has already been introduced up to the Kintessack turn-off but excessive traffic delays are not expected.

“We do not foresee long queues,” said Mrs Hellet. “The diversion will ensure traffic can continue both ways along the A96 while the work is being carried out.”

The remaining work involves re-creating riverside flood plains, constructing set-back flood defences and forming a new drainage channel complete with a pumping station, all of which will be completed by spring 2015.

Morrisons are currently building a “coffer dam”, next to the diversion, for the pumping station which will push the water through outlet pipes from the flood plane, under the A96 and into the River Findhorn.

“We’re preparing to dig out the planes to three or four metres below sea level,” said Construction Manager, Ian Mackay. “The coffer dam gives us protection from falling earth and keeps the area below the water table dry and safe while we work.”

Street lights, traffic lights and footpath safety barriers along the diversion are soon to be installed before the road is white-lined.

Temporary closures have been scheduled for the roads at Waterford, the Broom of Moy Footbridge and Pilmuir Road West at various stages of the remaining work.

A foot and cycle path will be built alongside the new road to alleviate some of the pedestrian traffic while the SUSTRAN cycle path is closed for further work in the summer.

The landowners who own the fields where the diversion is being built will be compensated once the diversion has been removed and the fields will be returned to their original state.

Mr Mackay pointed out that most of the materials used in the construction of the relief road are reusable. Once it is no longer required the tarmac will be removed and used to top off the new footpaths by the riverside.

“Also, our workforce is predominantly local,” he said. “80 per cent of the contractors and subbies (sub-contractors and workers) are from Moray and Inverness. There are 65 on site at the moment but this will rise to 140 during peak time later this year. We’ll be finished by Christmas 2015. The industry is quiet so it’s good to have a two year job.”

Mrs Hellet said that the defences had a one in 200 year return period, meaning that a flood event causing inundation is not expected to occur for a two hundred year period.

Councillor George Alexander, chairman of Moray Council’s Flood Alleviation Sub-Committee, said “It may be more than 40 years since the River Findhorn last caused major flooding, but the threat is always there. The economic benefits of the scheme, set against the potential cost of damage that a serious flood would cause, are not in question and we look forward to the scheme progressing well and being completed on time and within budget.”

The £40million River Findhorn and Pilmuir flood alleviation scheme will provide flood protection for 980 homes and businesses.