Almondbank Underpass

Almondbank Underpass was somewhere that you cycled through if you had to but would never have been regarded as somewhere you wanted to go to just to see it. The dark dingy concrete underpass beneath the A9 was regarded as a problem area with anti-social behaviour and graffiti.

Drawing on experience elsewhere that showed how involving the graffiti artists can transform the area it was originally planned to hold a graffiti jam at the underpass and encourage artists to attend and take part to create a new brighter welcoming space, one that would be less intimidating for those using the cycle path. Perth Active Travel Hub (PATH), a local community group, agreed to apply for ArtRoots funding and to manage the project with input from the Sustrans officers as required. A successful bid was made and the group were awarded £3700 in 2019. The plan was to hold the graffiti jam in March 2020. 

A strategic link on NCN 77 the underpass is also part of the Trunk Road network as it carries the A9 across the River Almond, therefore maintenance is the responsibility of BEAR Scotland and they needed to agree to the proposed artwork. Being adjacent to the river the underpass is often flooded and that caused various problems which had to be overcome before work could start on the project. Concerns were raised as to what would happen if it started to flood whilst the graffiti jam was taking place. BEAR confirmed that they would not take any measures to stop the floodwater, so a back-up plan of providing the artists with waterproof footwear was produced! More seriously a risk assessment and method statement were produced to inform everyone what would happen if the underpass started to flood during the work. A small amount of water could be accommodated but serious flooding would mean postponing the event. As it happened the event was postponed but it was not due to flooding. 

Covid, Lockdown and a change of plan. 

The graffiti jam was planned for 21st March 2020 and fingers were crossed for good weather which duly arrived but the national rise in the number of cases of Covid meant that the graffiti jam had to be delayed. As the country moved into lockdown it became obvious that such an event would not be possible for the foreseeable future and all plans were put on hold.

By August 2020 as restrictions began to ease the project was revisited but unfortunately the area was badly affected by flooding at this time and work was again delayed. Covid restrictions meant that it would still not be possible to hold a large gathering of artists so plans were made to use a smaller team of 5 artists who would paint the concrete panels. The lead artist (Paco Graff) proposed that instead of a graffiti jam they could plan to paint the large panels with different wildlife scenes reflecting the local nature.

In November 2020 PATH merged with ByCycle, another Perthshire active travel group, and management of the Almondbank project was transferred to ByCycle. Along with the onset of winter this all added up to further delays and it was decided to postpone work until spring 2021 when the weather would be better and Covid restrictions would hopefully be eased. 

Spring 2021: the transformation is achieved

Work finally started in March 2021 and over several weeks the large concrete panels were slowly transformed into huge images of the local wildlife; a large portrait of a fox looked out at passers-by, a kingfisher sat waiting on a branch for a passing fish whilst another surfaced from the water. A mighty red deer stag stares out at the surrounding hills, and a cartoon submarine gives a window into the underwater world of the river.  

The finished project has been very well received with widespread media coverage and many quotes telling of how it has transformed the area and made the underpass a much more welcoming place to be. People are now going there just to see the art work rather than hurrying through as quickly as possible.

Future plans include getting better lighting throughout the underpass and providing benches and rest stops for those who want to sit and enjoy both the artwork and the local scenery and maybe quietly watch for wildlife passing along this green corridor – a vital link for both people and the local nature.