COMMUTERS have been warned to leave their cars at home – or risk causing traffic chaos when the next phase of roadworks starts on the Kessock Bridge.
Contractors urged motorists to switch to public transport to try to prevent huge tailbacks and hour-long delays at rush hours when a £13.2million upgrade of the key link’s southbound carriageway begins.
Last year’s project to resurface the northbound carriageway was rated a success and disruption was minimised.
But drivers have been warned not to be complacent at the February 10 start date for what will be a 20-week scheme looms.
Large employers such as NHS Highland, Highland Council, Scottish Natural Heritage and Lifescan have been targeted by contractors as they try to ensure 1,000 fewer vehicles use the bridge during the twice-daily peak periods.
About 33,000 vehicles now use the bridge every day.
Calum Galloway, Bear Scotland’s bridge manager for the north-west, said: “You cannot be complacent. If people do not do what they did last year, then we will have delays.
“The public must help us. If we could get an increase in the number of people car-sharing, it would make a big difference
“There could be queues of up to an hour if people do not change their travel patterns.”
He said that “lessons have been learnt” from the experiences of last year – but warned that the weather could affect some stages of the works.
Mr Galloway said: “The potential for delay is built into the programme but there are parts of the work that cannot be done in wet or windy conditions.”
These include putting down three layers of asphalt and spraying a waterproofing coating.
The southbound carriageway will be shut, with a contraflow created on the northbound one.
Traffic will be restricted to 30mph on the bridge, with a 50mph limit imposed on the southbound dual carriageway from Tore roundabout.
There will also be restrictions on traffic leaving and entering certain junctions between Tore and Inverness, including the busy Munlochy junction.
A priority lane for buses and HGVs will also be used to smooth the flow of larger vehicles through the works.
New barriers will be erected along the footpath and contractors will tighten the bridge cables.
Mr Galloway said the cable-tightening was a requirement as there was some “sagging” – about a tenth of an inch – because of the bridge’s age and the increased weight of the new surface.
A special, more durable type of asphalt that originated in Switzerland is being used in the refurbishment, which is expected to be complete by the end of June.
Cameron Gair, bridges asset manager for Transport Scotland, said the new surface would last for 30 years, describing it the “Rolls-Royce” of asphalt.