Roads update for week starting 18/05/2026

A summary of road delays and closures due to road and building/utility works and events for the week starting Monday 18/05/2026.

An interactive map showing roadworks carried out by the Council is available at www.orkney.gov.uk/roads.

Road works and closures by other bodies are published on the Scottish Road Works Commissioner website.

Road, building and utility works

Ongoing works

A965, Finstown - Works on the A965 between Atlantis Lodges and the Old Finstown Road junction are ongoing and are expected to be completed by the end of May 2026. Works will take place in sections with temporary traffic lights and speed restrictions in place. This will affect all traffic including public bus services.

Brownstown Road, Stromness - Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) have reopened Brownstown Road, Stromness. Some works are continuing with basic traffic management in place, which may cause delays to traffic in the area.

Germiston Road, Stenness - SSEN will be carrying out work near the Heddle Road junction to enable the delivery and installation of new cables. The majority of the work will be carried out outside the boundary of the public road, but may have a limited impact on traffic using the road.

Surface dressing

All surface dressing works will be carried out under road closure conditions, with diversion routes provided where possible and roads reopened to traffic overnight. Access to affected properties will be maintained at the discretion of site staff, as and when possible, and with inevitable delays. School transport will be accommodated and managed through all sites, however access is likely to be subject to delays.

• Tankerness Hall Road (Shore Road to Yinstay Road) - Closed from 25/05/2026 to 28/05/2026.
• Yinstay Road (Tankerness Hall Road to Redbanks Farm) - Closed from 29/05/2026 to 01/06/2026.
• Cornquoy Road (Tieve Road to Benshall Road) - Closed from 02/06/2026 to 03/06/2026.
• Grimness Road (B9044) (Hottit to Haybrake Road) - Closed from 04/06/2026 to 08/06/2026.
• A961 (Wilderness junction to St Mary's Village) and A961 St Mary's Village (corner at The Inn) - Closed from 09/06/2026 to 12/06/2026. The X1 bus service will follow a diversion route via the A960 (airport road) and the B9052 past St Andrews Primary School.
• A966 (A965 junction to Norseman Village) - Closed from 15/06/2026 to 23/06/2026. The No.6 Tingwall bus service may experience delays on the inbound journey.
• Hundland Road (A986 junction to Durkadale Road) - Closed from 24/06/2026 to 25/06/2026.
• Hillside Road (B9057) (Gueth Road to 700 metres east of Overbist) - Closed from 26/06/2026 to 01/07/2026.

Looking ahead

Holm Road, Kirkwall (A961) - We are planning to carry out resurfacing and localised reconstruction on Holm Road in the vicinity of the Highland Park Distillery during mid to late June 2026. Works will be carried out predominantly under temporary traffic signals with some short duration closures of Holm Road. The works will also include some longer closures of Rosebank to enable the new road surface to be laid. The work will cause disruption to all traffic using the road, including the X1 Stromness to St Margaret's Hope bus service.

Further information on our planned works, including the extents of the sites, can be found at www.orkney.gov.uk/roadworks.