North West Scotland Trunk Roads – Storm Gerrit Update

December 27, 2023

Storm Gerrit is causing severe disruption on the trunk road network across Scotland, particularly in the North West.

BEAR Scotland, Transport Scotland’s trunk road operating company for the North West, is working with partners to keep roads open where possible, with teams out across the country clearing snow, fallen trees, and other debris. Disruption is likely to continue for the rest of the day.

The A9 is currently closed at Drumochter due to heavy snow and a jack-knifed HGV. Working alongside our partners at Police Scotland, we have six ploughs and three tractors in the area working hard to clear the road. However, they are facing extremely challenging conditions, and we ask people to avoid the area at this time. The A9 at Ballinluig has also been closed by Police Scotland due to flooding.

The A82 at Inverlochy remains closed while clear-up operations are underway due to a fallen lighting column and a number of fallen trees, but we have no estimated time to for reopening yet.

In the meantime, the A85 at Bridge of Awe has reopened following an earlier closure, but BEAR Landscaping teams are still working in the area to remove a number of smaller fallen trees and debris.

Ian Stewart, Operating Company Representative for BEAR Scotland, said: “Our teams are working at pace across the country, whenever it was deemed safe, to clear the roads and keep Scotland moving. However, the Met Office Yellow warnings for wind, rain and snow remain in place and we request that people consider if they really need to travel today. If so, please check Traffic Scotland for the latest updates on your route and be prepared for disruption.”

Real time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland on http://www.traffic.gov.scot, Twitter/X @trafficscotland or on the mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.

Winter driving advice is available on the Traffic Scotland Winter Hub – https://www.traffic.gov.scot/winter-driving