A main road in Perthshire which was destroyed by flash floods in August will not be fully repaired and reopened until almost Christmas, council chiefs have revealed.
Terrifying thunderstorms during the summer saw weeks’ worth of rain fall in a matter of hours across Perth and Kinross, wreaking havoc on roads.
Causing landslips and washing away asphalt, the deluge cut off a handful of communities in and around the Forgandenny area.
Council crews got to work quickly, clearing debris and rebuilding caved in roads but one hamlet is still surrounded by roadworkers and residents of Ardargie face a 20 mile detour to access basic services, with the road not expected to be fully reopened until the middle of December.
Due to the damage to the road, a telecommunications cable needed to be replaced before road repairs could go ahead.
After the floodwater subsided, Openreach contractors carried out emergency work to replace underground chambers and duct pipes for cables while the road was closed.
However, this cable replacement work was completed on November 8, in line with the dates agreed by Openreach and the council.
Almond and Earn councillor Henry Anderson believes having to wait a quarter of the year to get the road repaired is “totally unacceptable.”
“Ardargie has been forgotten about. Constituents have to drive an extra 20 miles to get to the shops,” He said.
“14 weeks is totally unacceptable. Residents need to use the single track roads at Invermay to get anywhere, and forestry operations are running just now.
“The community council are meeting this week and folk are expecting updates.”
Perth and Kinross Council said the only outstanding infrastructural issue caused by the flash floods is at Ardargie.
Local authority bosses say it is currently anticipated the road will be re-opened by mid-December.
Following the floods, mudslides blocked the road between Necessity Brae in Perth and Forteviot, while a sinkhole big enough to swallow a car opened up on the road to Forgandenny’s Network Rail outpost.
