Argyll and Bute Council can advise that following discussion with CalMac Ferries, re-surfacing works planned for last year at Port Askaig will now take place from Monday 19 to Wednesday 28 April. This means there will be changes to the CalMac ferry timetable, to and from Islay.
The work, which will be carried out in-house by Argyll and Bute Council, was postponed last year because of COVID-19 restrictions.
The areas being resurfaced include the marshalling area, through lanes and exit lane.
The timetable changes will help reduce the time it takes to do the work by around a third. This will minimise disruption for residents and businesses and reduce the potential for disruption to ferry marshalling and turnaround.
Daily CalMac sailings departing 10.00 from Kennacraig will sail to Port Askaig as normal. The 13.00 departing from Kennacraig will be diverted to Port Ellen. Please refer to CalMac’s website for updated timetable changes.
The Jura to Islay ferry will not be affected but delays to traffic are likely.
Councillor Rory Colville, Policy Lead for Roads and Infrastructure Services, said: “The current condition of the road surface is poor. It’s important this work gets completed, so we’ve been in close contact with CalMac to plan the most efficient way to get it done.
“Restricting access to the harbour for a week will let us get the materials in and work straight through. It also means we can keep the public and the workers safe. I’d like to thank everyone in advance for their patience.”
Robert Morrison, Director of Operations for CalMac, said: “We are working closely with Argyll and Bute Council to ensure that any disruption to passengers will be kept to a minimum. The temporary timetable will be shared with local communities and posted on the CalMac website.”
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