ONE of the north’s busiest roads was closed last night after a lorry overturned and shed its load of cylinders near a tourist attraction.
The accident on the A82 Inverness-Fort William route along Loch Ness happened just south of visitor magnet Urquhart Castle – and caused chaos for road-users.
The truck ended up on its side, spilling its load and blocking both lanes of the carriageway near Aultsigh.
An exclusion zone was set up around the lorry amid fears the cylinders could explode – although police refused to say what they contained.
The male driver, who has not been named, was alone in the vehicle. He was treated at the scene before being taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Police said last night his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. No further information was available about his condition.
No other vehicles were involved.
The road was expected to be reopened early this morning.
Police and firefighters remained at the scene last night as the delicate task of removing the lorry and its load continued.
The fire service mobilised five vehicles, including specialist crews, after reports of the crash at about 2.30pm.
The local retained crew from Drumnadrochit was joined by two from Inverness, a further retained crew from Beauly and a specialist unit from Inverness.
A police spokesman said: “The heavy goods vehicle was carrying cylinders, the contents of which are not believed to be a risk to the general public, and as a precautionary measure a 200-metre cordon has been established whilst the vehicle and its contents are recovered.”
Diversions were put in place along the east side of the loch, on the B862 Fort Augustus-Inverness road.
However, motorists were told the rural route was suitable only for small vehicles, meaning lorries were forced to park up for the night.
Those travelling along the A87 Kyle-Invermoriston road were also diverted to Fort Augustus.
Highlands and Islands MSP John Finnie, who was caught up in the traffic problems as he returned from a surgery in Oban, said: “This road does have its challenges and the accident shows the frailty of our road network.”
Recent figures showed that the Inverness-Glasgow road was shut 97 times from 2010 to 2012, including 11 closures for fatal accidents.