A long-awaited road scheme is to take a step forward with investigatory work due to start later this month.
Groundworks will be carried out along the A96 between Inverness and Auldearn – pre-empting the planned dualling of the road, including a bypass for Nairn.
The work will start on June 26 and is expected to continue until November.
The work will carried out in two contracts totalling £3.1million – though both have been awarded to Raeburn Drilling and Geotechnical.
The company will assess around 1,000 locations along the route.
One contract covers the stretch between Inverness and Gollanfield and the other the stretch between Gollanfield and Auldearn.
Motorists using the road between Inverness and Nairn are being asked to plan ahead for possible traffic restrictions over the next few months.
Although most of the work will be carried out away from the trunk road and adjacent side roads, a small fraction of the work will require traffic management measures to allow work beside the carriageway to be carried out safely.
This will include short, alternate single file traffic sections controlled by temporary traffic signals.
Out of the 1,000 total investigation locations across the site, only 36 of these will take place near the A96 or other side roads and may require traffic management, so minimal disruption is expected.
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “This ground investigation is needed to get important information on the existing ground conditions in the vicinity of the A96 between Inverness and Auldearn as we progress our plans to dual the road.
“Although the vast majority of the work will not require any traffic management, a small fraction of investigative work will take place beside the carriageway.
“We would thank road users and local communities in advance for their patience during any short duration traffic management operations which may be required as the works progress.
“The contractor will closely monitor the operation of the small amount of traffic management that is required to ensure that delays are kept to a minimum.
“When planning their journeys, we’d encourage drivers to visit the Traffic Scotland website for the latest travel updates.”