Transport chiefs have been urged to bring forward improvements to a notorious accident blackspot on the A9 Inverness-Thurso road.
The Scottish Chamber of Commerce said frequent closures at the notorious Berriedale Braes hairpin bend between Helmsdale and Lybster were strangling businesses and communities in Caithness and in Orkney.
The stretch was shut for five hours earlier this month following a lorry fire – resulting in a 77-mile diversion.
It was the latest in a series of closures which have caused major disruption for motorists.
Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said the issue could be resolved using just “a small proportion of the money which the Scottish Government was proposing to spend elsewhere on the trunk road.
“The economic effects of these road closures and detours on businesses in Caithness are significant, but with the required investment to upgrade this part of the A9 estimated at approximately £2.5million – a fraction of the overall £3billion set aside for the A9 upgrade programme south of Inverness – this economic disruption could be substantially reduced at a relatively low cost to the taxpayer.
“Scottish Chambers of Commerce has met with ministers to try to resolve this issue and will continue to work with Caithness Chamber of Commerce in urging that the Scottish Government commit to allocating a budget to the agreed preferred option of improvement, and significantly accelerate its deadline to complete work
.”
Earlier this year the Scottish Government revealed plans to alter the layout of the road.
The proposals include building a new stretch on higher ground to avoid the hairpin altogether.
A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “We have already carried out ground investigations work at Berriedale and developed design proposals with input from the local community, and identified a preferred option to tackle the steep gradient and road alignment on this section of road.
“We are currently working with partners including the Highland Council to progress the scheme as quickly as we can, with the final scheme outline expected to be published later this year.”