The Scottish Secretary for Transport has welcomed the award of a contract to continue “much needed” work to improve an Inverness bottleneck.
The deal worth over £138,000 has been awarded to Causeway Geotech to conduct groundwork at the Longman Roundabout this autumn.
It will inform design of the upgrade to the roundabout just off the Kessock Bridge to ease the traffic issues there.
The ground investigation is expected to begin in early September and is to take around four weeks to complete.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said: “We are continuing to progress the design and assessment work for grade-separating this busy junction in the Highland capital.
“This ground investigation contract will help inform the design work for this much-needed upgrade having let the public see and provide their views on five possible options for the junction in May.”
Mr Matheson warned road users to expect some delays: “The work is expected to start in early September with the vast majority of the work taking place off the line of the road, ensuring the need for traffic management is kept to an absolute minimum.”
He added: “Road users and local communities will be kept informed of our plans and we will endeavour to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.”