MOTORISTS in Inverness now face 10 months of speed restrictions and lane closures at the Kessock Bridge following delays to roadworks.
Work had been due to start in October with a series of “essential” work to strengthen the bridge towers in a £2 million project.
It was originally announced in September there would be six months of disruption, with reduced speed limits and night-time lane closures expected.
However, in an update on Thursday, Bear Scotland, who is carrying out the work on behalf of Transport Scotland, revealed a new longer-running time scale for the project.
Work will now begin in January and will not be finished until October 2025 – four months longer than previously announced.
In the update, the transport agency said site surveys will also be carried out by engineers in November and December, although Bear Scotland stressed these “will have no impact on bridge users”.
The road maintenance and management firm said previously that when work begins one of the foot and cycle paths will be closed for the entirety of the six months due to concerns over the safety of pedestrians.
It also confirmed there will be a diversion in place for foot or cycle traffic during the lane closure period and the speed limit will be reduced from 50mph to 30mph with intermittent lane closures throughout the estimated 10 months' worth of work.
Kessock Bridge links the Highland city of Inverness with the Black Isle on the A9 and is seen as a vital route which links the north of Scotland with the rest of the country.
Ian Stewart, Bear Scotland’s north west representative, said: “These essential works on Kessock Bridge will strengthen the steel structure, upgrade our wind measurement equipment and we will also take the opportunity to improve access and safety inside the towers for our teams.
“We will do everything possible to complete this essential strengthening project as quickly and safely as possible. We thank all road users and the local community for their patience in advance.
“Please plan ahead by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up-to-date journey information and leave some extra time to complete journeys.”
Bear Scotland added the strengthening work will help to “ensure the bridge continues to meet loading standards for major bridges in years to come”.
It added that plans for “intermittent night time lane closures will be required for material deliveries” but also stressed that “these will be planned to limit any disruption to bridge users”.
