No limits for Skye after completion of £16M tourist route upgrade

19 November 2008

The fifth and final phase of improvements to one of Scotland’s most popular tourist roads has been completed.

Highland Council has invested £16M on the 14.5-mile upgrade of the A851 between Broadford and Armadale on the Isle of Skye, transforming it from a single-track road into a two-lane carriageway on a free-flowing alignment.

The final £2.5M contract, involving a 3.5km stretch of road between Teangue and Kilbeg, was carried out for the council by R J McLeod, which also completed three earlier phases. The new road connects with the Armadale-Mallaig ferry and to the A830 Fort William to Mallaig trunk road, where major improvements are nearing completion.

Cllr John Laing, chairman of the council’s transport committee, said: ‘The Sleat road must now be one of the best in the Highlands. It provides a safe and speedier journey for local motorists, public transport and service vehicles, and is a very welcome economic boost to the area.’

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