Argyll and Bute Council devised a new way of getting thousands of tonnes of road material to Islay after repeated ferry disruption affected resurfacing work. The method worked on Jura. Then the only suitable hire vessel went into dry dock.
Five thousand tonnes of planned road material, £1.1 million of work and as much as 44,000 square metres of resurfacing depended on one specialist ship.
Argyll and Bute Council had planned to move deferred-set macadam to Islay in five or six bulk shipments this year. The approach had already been used successfully on neighbouring Jura.
The larger Islay operation was due to follow, but the vessel required to carry and unload the material entered dry dock and its repairs overran. The council says the ship has an on-deck crane required at smaller piers and is the only vessel of its type currently available for hire.
Some critical work will still go ahead on the A847 in October using conventional hot bitumen transported to Islay by CalMac.
Changing the Logistics
The council developed the programme after larger Islay road projects had been under-delivered during the previous three years because of ferry reliability.
Conventional hot bitumen has a limited working period, requiring manufacture, transport and laying to be closely coordinated.
Deferred-set macadam can remain workable for more than 21 days, according to council papers, allowing large quantities to be produced in advance and shipped in bulk.
The strategic Islay and Jura allocation provided £750,000 for approximately 5,000 tonnes of material and another £350,000 for surfacing and laying.
Five or six deliveries were expected to provide enough material for around 20 full days of work, covering up to approximately 44,000 square metres of road.
Deferred-set material is not new. It was historically used to supply islands before hot-mix surfacing became more common.
Jura Went First
The council used deferred-set macadam on the A846 on Jura during the summer, and its roads programme records the planned operation as completed.
The Islay problem arose with transport rather than the surfacing material itself.
The chosen vessel carries its own deck crane, which the council says is needed at smaller piers where equivalent shore-side lifting facilities are unavailable.
When its dry-dock repairs overran, no equivalent hire vessel was available.
The same ship is also used to carry winter road salt, although the council has not said that gritting supplies are at risk.
No replacement vessel has been publicly identified and no firm date has been announced for the full Islay operation. Council officers are expected to work with the ship owner on a revised programme.
The £1.1 million should not be treated as money lost. The work has been postponed rather than cancelled.
October Work Will Still Go Ahead
The council has selected a section of the A847 south of Port Mòr for resurfacing beginning on 5 October, subject to weather.
That work will use conventional hot bitumen brought to the island by CalMac.
The road is single track through parts of the affected area and the work will require lengthy daytime closures, with scheduled openings for local traffic, buses and school transport.
Traffic will also be able to travel through Port Charlotte, Kilchiaran and Portnahaven during the works.
The A847 runs through western Islay towards Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Portnahaven. It carries local traffic, buses and school transport alongside agricultural vehicles, timber haulage and other commercial movements.
Council records from separate works on the route have identified HGV traffic associated with forestry, farming, distillery operations and development.
The October work will address one section while the larger programme waits to be rescheduled.
A Changing Island Transport Network
The delay comes during wider changes to Islay’s marine infrastructure.
Port Ellen closed in June for a major redevelopment and is expected to remain closed until 2029.
Mainland ferry services are operating through Port Askaig during that work, while Port Askaig has also undergone strengthening and repairs during 2026.
Those projects are separate from the dry-dock problem and did not cause the specialist vessel to become unavailable.
For now, the larger Islay resurfacing programme remains dependent on the return of the ship needed to unload its bulk material.
The council designed the scheme to reduce one transport constraint. Its timetable is now being determined by another.
Sources
Road Improvements Starting on Islay in October
Argyll and Bute Council, September 2026
https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/news/2026/sep/road-improvements-starting-islay-october
Roads Capital Reconstruction Programme 2026-27
Argyll and Bute Council
https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/s229452/ROADS%20CAPITAL%20RECONSTRUCTION%20PROGRAMME%202026-27.pdf
Capital Programme Appendices — Roads Capital Reconstruction Programme 2026-27
Argyll and Bute Council
https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/s229453/Appendices%20-%20Capital%20Programme.pdf
£24m Investment Programme for Roads Reconstruction
Argyll and Bute Council, March 2026
https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/news/2026/mar/ps24m-investment-programme-roads-reconstruction
Roads Capital Programme — Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islands
Argyll and Bute Council
https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/roads-capital-programme-202425/mid-argyll-kintyre-and-islands-surface-dressing-202425
Public List of Roads — Argyll and Bute Council Area
Argyll and Bute Council
https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-10/Public%20List%20of%20Roads%202019%20-%20Argyll%20%20Bute%20Council%20Area.pdf
Port Ellen Closure — Service Changes
CalMac, 2026
https://www.calmac.co.uk/travel/service-changes/port-ellen-closure/
No Ferry Disruptions During Port Askaig Repairs
Argyll and Bute Council, July 2026
https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/news/2026/jul/no-ferry-disruptions-during-port-askaig-repairs
