ected a call to help pay the costs of re-routing a Highland road that is regularly closed by landslides has been rejected by transport minister Keith Brown.
He said yesterday it was the responsibility of the local authority to find a solution to problems on the A890 in Wester Ross.
The Stromeferry road has been regularly closed by rockfalls along the shore of Loch Carron.
Highland Council are considering options for a permanent solution, including a new low-level bridge across the Strome narrows, a shared viaduct with the railway along the shore of Loch Carron and building a new road south of the loch through Gleann Udalain.
The road was closed overnight on October 28 after a landslide.
Highland Labour MSP Rhoda Grant asked Mr Brown to consider jointly funding improvement work with Highland Council at Holyrood yesterday.
“The A890 is the access road for the local high school and hospital, as well as a well-used tourist route, and that the only available diversion is 130 miles long, which is not really a diversion at all,” she added.
“The price of rerouting the road would be high but the economic benefit for the area and for the rest of Scotland would be enormous.
“Will the minister consider helping Highland Council with the funding of the project so that we can bring that about as quickly as possible and ensure that disruption ceases?”
Mr Brown said Transport Scotland officials were liaising with, and offering support to, Highland Council on the matter.
“In addition to demands to spend more resources in every area of Scottish Government activity, we are getting demands to do things that are the legitimate responsibility of local government.
“It is impossible to see where the resources would come from.
“In this case the matter is Highland Council’s responsibility, albeit that we will work with it.”
Rob Gibson, SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland Ross, said he thought the council should seek the cooperation of the Macpherson family at Attadale estate to build a new route over their land to Gleann Udalain.
Mr Brown acknowledged that it was a difficult situation given the geography of the site but said it was for Highland Council to take forward the discussions and consider the options.