A key component for a major infrastructure roads project began arriving at Perth harbour at the weekend.
One of the largest cargoes for several years to come through the port, the man-made expanded clay product is destined for the A9/A85 road improvements which are currently under construction.
Very hard and very light, the material lets water disperse and it will be used and compacted in a large embankment which is part of the project.
Nearly 5,000 cubic metres of the material arrived from Denmark on Saturday on board the Wilson Astakos and will require around 100 truck movements to ferry it from the harbour.
This is the first of an estimated six or seven shiploads of the material which will be coming to Perth as part of the project. Contractors Balfour Beattie and Perth and Kinross Council are encouraging as much of the material for the road project as possible to come through the harbour.
Overseeing the operation at Perth harbour is Ross Howie, the managing director of Calport.
He said the harbour was committed to a dredging programme which will allow the port the flexibility to welcome ships on many more days than is currently possible.
The transport infrastructure project for which the material will be used paves the way for the expansion of Perth city.
Construction work to deliver the new A9/A85 junction and link road to Bertha Park in the west of the city got under way in November.
The scheme is the first phase of the Perth Transport Futures Project which aims to improve air quality in the city centre, alleviate current and future traffic congestion, and provide roads infrastructure to support economic growth.
It will unlock areas of land for housing and business use and has the potential to create thousands of jobs in the coming years.
The Perth Transport Futures Project has four phases which will ultimately include the development of the Cross Tay Link Road.
Phase one of the project includes a grade separated interchange between the A9 and the A85, and a link road between the new interchange and the Bertha Park development site, and is due for completion in spring 2019.
This phase will also include two new roads connecting the A85 to the new interchange, a roundabout on Ruthvenfield Road, a bridge over the River Almond and a footbridge over the A9 linking Tulloch to Inveralmond Industrial Estate.
