For one farming family on the outskirts of Nairn, the town’s much heralded new bypass will create more divisions than connections.
John Mackintosh’s Blackpark property will be bisected by the eastern end of the new road.
And according to the plans, the dual carriageway will pass just a few feet from his front door.
He and wife Deirdre were among the first residents to visit Transport Scotland’s public exhibition yesterday.
But the couple said they were “devastated” by the proposals, which Mr Mackintosh said would be “a disaster” for his business.
The family has three farms, at Blackpark, Meadowfield and Foynesfield, and generations have worked the land in the area.
Along with other Auldearn residents, they had lobbied for a different route which would have gone further south of Nairn and followed the edge of Blackpark’s land before heading north of Auldearn.
Mr Mackintosh, 71, said: “We knew it had to go through somewhere.
“But they have taken no notice of what we said.”
Mrs Mackintosh said: “We were prepared for it to go through some of our land.
“This plan splits our land in two. We won’t be able to move the cows between the two or move combine harvesters.
“Our son Kyle has just got planning permission for a farmhouse which will now be on the other side of the dual carriageway.
“He was moving there to help us with the farm.
“Now we’ll have an eight-mile detour to get from one side to the other.
“Our grandchildren were joking they’d be able to wave at us and come over for tea, but that’s not going to happen now.”