‘Ecology’ pond works start for A9 Dualling Tomatin to Moy project

Network Rail engineers have started prepping the site at Lynebeg, near Inverness, for the construction of a new pond to support local ecology. This forms part of the advance works on the A9 Dualling Tomatin to Moy road scheme.

Network Rail is carrying out the works on behalf of Transport Scotland. They involve the construction of the pond and associated landscaping works, including wetland planting, to benefit the wider ecology in the area.

Over the next eight weeks, the area will be cleared and lined before the surrounding area is landscaped to create the 60m by 20m pond. It will then be left to mature for a year before the contents of an existing pond are relocated to it.

In the autumn of last year, tunnelling was completed through a railway embankment to create an overflow outfall for the new pond. Network Rail used an Iseki Unclemole Super TCS1200 tunnel boring machine to dig 33m under the railway through a mixture of sand, gravel and rock over a period of four days.

The undertrack crossing was initially used to accommodate temporary utility diversions during the replacement of an old masonry arch rail bridge on the Highland Mainline.

The bridge was the first major structure to be constructed as part of the A9 Dualling Tomatin to Moy project.

Ecology pond map

For the new pond, an ecology assessment carried out during the development of the project highlighted the existence of a rare sub-species of the caddisfly. Network Rail said the new and landscaping will help protect the habitat that supports this rare species and enable its future translocation to this location.

Network Rail project manager for the work at Lynebeg, Malcolm McGowan, said: “The construction of this pond will recreate the existing caddisfly habitat and, following a period of establishment, will support the relocation of the existing caddisfly to the new pond, which is considered to bring significant environmental benefits to the A9 project.

“Promoting positive environmental impacts and supporting biodiversity is an important element of the overall A9 Dualling project, and the work we will do in the coming weeks will continue to benefit the local ecology for generations to come.

“There will be a range of construction plant involved in the creation of the pond and though the location is relatively rural, we are advising local people to be aware of the additional activity and vehicle movements during this important work.”

Transport Scotland revealed its shortlist for the £115M contract to upgrade the 9.6km stretch of road between Tomatin and Moy into a dual carriageway towards the end of last year. The companies vying for the job are Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering, John Graham Construction and Wills Bros Civil Engineering.

Transport Scotland anticipates that the construction contract for the third section of the A9 will be awarded in the second half of 2022.