NEW LINKSPANS FOR COLL AND TIREE FERRY TERMINALS
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) has announced it is planning to replace the linkspan decks at the ferry terminals at Coll and Tiree.
£3.7 million funding has been secured and, following a public sector procurement exercise, construction contractor George Leslie Limited has been appointed to undertake the works.
CMAL will host public meetings to share details of the planned arrangements for the linkspan deck replacements. Communities are invited to attend their local meeting:
- An Cridhe, Coll Community Centre, Coll
Monday 3rd December, 4.00pm – 7.30pm - An Talla Community Hall, Tiree
Tuesday 4th December, 4.00pm – 7.30pm
Individuals are welcome to drop-in at any time during the meetings. Representatives from CMAL, CalMac and engineering firm Mott MacDonald will discuss the timing of the construction projects, details of the replacement process, port closure and the alternative ferry service arrangements to be in place during the works. It is anticipated the work will take place in late autumn 2019 at Coll and early spring 2020 at Tiree.
Brian Sydney, senior civil engineer at CMAL said:
“The linkspan decks at the two ferry terminals are reaching the end of their serviceable life and are being replaced as part of our ongoing programme of harbour upgrades and improvements. We expect each replacement will require a port closure period of three to four weeks to complete the works, subject to weather conditions. If we can reduce the timescale, we will. We know that timing and connectivity is vital for the islands and our aim is to minimise disruption as far as possible.
“We will work closely with Calmac and our contractor to ensure that alternative ferry services for passengers and freight can be maintained throughout the construction period.”
David Gibson, service delivery director, CalMac said:
“We are aware of how important these lifeline services are to the islands and we are committed to minimising the impact on customers and the local community while these works are carried out.
“We will work with the communities to ensure we offer the best possible alternative arrangements and we will shortly engage with them to determine the scope of the freight service that will be required.”