Sound Of Barra Integrated Transport Project

Eriskay - 2nd September 2000

The causeway coming out from Eriskay reached Eel Rock, a major step in progress towards the link up still planned for mid November.

The timings and levels of the tides affected last week's work and on the Eriskay side the contractors concentrated mainly on rock armouring The causeway core had extended to 520m from shore by September 2 (at an average of 3m below full height) with 110,000 tonnes of rock placed, extracted from Eriskay.

On Eriskay - the rock cut has reached 320m inland from the shore which is half the distance to the tie in with existing roads on Eriskay.

On the Uist side - work was both tidal and normal - working mainly on rock armouring and the diversion around the bridge section. The causeway core has extended 460m from shore (at an average of 2m below full height). A total of 150,000 tonnes of rock have been placed, extracted from the quarry . The diversion around bridge section has progressed 60m which is 500m from the shore.

At Ceann a Gharaidh - the site for the Eriskay terminal of the Sound of Barra ferry, a second blast has been set off in the marshalling area and the contractors were preparing for a third.

Employment on the Eriskay Causeway project has reached a new high with a total of 51. R.J. Macleod have 41 operatives of which 26 are resident to the Western Isles ­ 20 are from the Uists, 3 from Eriskay, 1 from Barra and 2 from Lewis.

The contractors also have 7 supervisory staff and office staff of which 1 is resident in South Uist. In addition there is a student engineer (from Ullapool) and 2 part-time cleaners (South Uist and Eriskay). So the total RJM personnel is 51, with 29 from the Western Isles, or 57 per cent.