Motorists are facing disruption on the A9 from tonight as inspections on the Golden Bridge get under way.
The A9 Inverness to Perth trunk road will be closed in both directions between the exit for Inverness Campus and Inshes, and the Raigmore Interchange for the next two nights.
The closures will allow access to the Golden Bridge for scheduled maintenance inspections.
The route will be closed fom 8pm this evening through until 7am on Sunday, before closing again from 8pm on Sunday through to 6am on Monday.
Marked diversions will remain in place throughout the night as contractors Fairhurst begin works.
Ruaraidh Macneil, HIE’s director of business infrastructure, has thanked motorists for their patience.
He said: “We have been working with Fairhursts to make sure this essential maintenance inspection takes place during the A9’s quietest times.
“We would like to thank any affected motorists for their patience and co-operation. The route will be back to normal by 6am on Monday.”
Diversion route
The Golden Bridge was installed in 2013 to enable access between Inverness Campus and the city centre, and is used by over 10,000 cyclists and walkers every month.
It forms part of wider green and active travel links which includes the recently opened Raigmore Active Travel link.
Traffic from the south will be directed off the A9 to Inshes roundabout onto Old Perth Road, then to Millburn Road and back onto the A9 at the Raigmore interchange.
Traffic coming from the north on the A9, or from the east on the A96, will be diverted at the Raigmore interchange onto Millburn Road, then to Old Perth Road to Inshes roundabout and then over the dual carriageway to re-join the A9 from Culloden Road.