UK's longest dead-end road given material edge from Holcim



 

Holcim UK has successfully delivered thousands of tonnes of materials to one of Britain’s longest dead end roads.

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The road from the A87 west of Inverrary to Kinloch Hourn is a 22 mile single track road which ends at Loch Hourn.

The road was widened, strengthened and resurfaced as part of SSE Transmission's Fort Augustus to Skye 132Kv Reinforcement Project which is providing new pylons to carry electricity cables between the island and the mainland.

The Scottish power company commissioned RJ McLeod to carry out the overall works. Highland Surfacing and Contracting carried out the resurfacing part of the works and turned to Holcim to meet their supply needs.

A total of 18,560 tonnes of materials was provided to the scheme over a two year period between August 2025 and June 2026 from Holcim’s Inverness Asphalt Plant. 

This was made up of:

• 8,227 tonnes of AC32 base
• 5,703 tonnes of AC20 binder
• 4,630 tonnes of AC14 surface course.

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John Bell, Holcim Inverness Asphalt Plant manager, said: “We’re delighted to have successfully delivered Holcim materials to the project - the end result looks fantastic.

“To consistently produce and deliver the volume required over the course of a year takes dedication and close collaboration with the contractors and a huge team effort. Our surface course includes an additive in our mixes to improve the workability and travel time of the material.

“There were also numerous challenges with significant environmental considerations for local wildlife, including nesting eagles, red-throated divers, and spawning fish.

“Operational restrictions were in place to protect the habitat, such as drivers being unable to enter the site until two hours after sunrise, a prohibition on flashing lights, and strict speed limits to avoid disturbing the nesting eagles.”