The widely-anticipated West Link project in Inverness will finally be completed at the end of May, after being delayed due to Covid.
A second bridge over the Caledonian Canal is currently being installed and marks the end of the six-year project.
The bypass is expected to help traffic navigate through Inverness easier, and avoid heavy rush hour traffic.
Stage one of the project was completed in December 2017, with the next stage beginning in 2018.
It was planned for completion by the end of 2020 but due to a Covid-enforced closure of the site, it has been delayed.
The bridge is expected to be opened at the end of May, despite hopes it would be complete by early April.
Work is currently under way to install the second bridge, with the engineering work being modelled in 3D on computers.
It will be a complex undertaking, with engineers now making minute and detailed adjustments to the mechanism in situ, to bring the bridge perfectly into alignment.
This installation is the final part of the project, with an A82 pedestrian underpass and timber jetty already installed as part of the works.
A community liaison meeting was held last night to bring the local community up to date with the project.
Chairman of the group, Councillor Graham Ross welcomed the news that the project will be completed shortly.
He said: “I would like to thank the commitment of the volunteers involved in the community liaison group who have represented a wide variety of organisations over the last five or six years of the project.
“Their input has been extremely valuable over the whole project and has ensured that there has been excellent communication between the council, the contractors and the community and helped with public relations throughout.”
Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson thanked staff for all their work in bringing the project to its final stage.
She said: “These have been remarkably difficult circumstances over the past year and I am grateful to all the staff and contractors involved in keeping this important project on track.
“It is very exciting to see the swing bridge now in its final stages of construction.”