At BEAR Scotland, we take pride in keeping Scotland’s roads safe and resilient. We recently undertook a complex rock slope remediation project on the A830 east of Ranochan, a key route in the West Highlands linking Fort William, Mallaig, local communities and tourism hotspots.

What was initially expected to be a straightforward job to remove loose rock and debris, install rock anchors and mesh netting, soon revealed far greater challenges.

It was only after vegetation was cleared that  the condition of the rockslope could be fully assessed. Jacobs geotechnical engineers identified several large boulders that posed a risk to road users, prompting BEAR Scotland to implement road closures for safe removal. Two separate rock removal methodologies were utilised with the team safely dislodging boulders utilising Nonex and mesh enclosures during the first closure, and airbags placed behind the boulders during the second closure.

Although initially scheduled to finish by March, the project was delayed to reassess the scope, resulting in approximately 15 tonnes of boulders being removed under an overnight closure, followed by further works to install 27 rock anchors, mesh netting, and remove an additional four tonnes during a second overnight closure.

Although the road had to be fully closed during the boulder removal (and you’ll see why in the video below),disruption was kept to a minimum, especially during the busy tourist season.

This project highlights the collaborative effort between BEAR Scotland and Jacobs engineers, and our commitment to keeping Scotland’s roads safer for road users.