A former Inverness councillor has made a last-ditch plea to the Highland Council to drop controversial plans for a major new road.
Katrina Coutts has made an impassioned plea to the local authority to halt work on the West Link Road, which will link the A9 and A82.
The council is ploughing ahead with the plans, which will create, after the remaining official objections were withdrawn
But there remains opposition to £43million project, with Mrs Coutts the latest to voice her concerns.
She campaigned for 35 years for a fixed bridge to connect the north and west of the city.
At present these areas are served by swing bridges at Tomnahurich and Muirtown.
Highland Council’s plan is to install a second swing bridge at Tomnahurich. The intention is that when one is open, the other is closed, allowing traffic to flow.
But Mrs Coutts believes that the chance to create an Inverness bypass is not yet lost.
She said that one of the options in Transport Scotland’s recent A9/A96 connections study would allow the A82 to be re-routed along Sir Walter Scott Drive, crossing the river Torvean Quarry.
She said: “Were Highland Council persuaded to rescind Option 6, the way would be clear to achieve an integrated A82 highway along one of Scotland’s most prestigious tourist routes, leading to Loch Ness and the western Highlands and Islands.
“Time is running out to achieve the required solution, with which I trust you agree. I would therefore appeal to you to use your influence to enable this to go ahead.
“If the Highland Council is allowed to actually construct the seriously flawed Option 6 distributor road, the opportunity which currently exists to construct a genuine western bypass, with a non-opening bridge will have been lost forever.”
She added that this option damages no leisure and recreation land.
But Councillor Thomas Prag, the chairman of the planning, development and infrastructure committee, said that the Option 6 road was going ahead.
He added: “The idea of a western bypass was effectively discounted when people looked at the traffic modelling, which demonstrates that there is a small percentage wants to bypass Inverness.
“The vast majority of A82 traffic is heading into Inverness. A bypass option does not serve the city very well.
“I think people have a nice idea of a big fancy bridge and it is something I used to think was a good idea. But it is not a terribly clever traffic solution.”