A survey to determine what lies beneath the troubled Inshes roundabout will be carried out before the project to turn around the road’s fortunes can properly begin.
The six-pronged junction has been the cause of many a Highland capital headache for years.
Efforts to try to improve the situation are under way.
However, council officers have already tempered expectations, explaining that the list of options on the table does not include a magic wand.
The project will be discussed and debated by Highland councillors in the months to come.
But before any construction work starts, Highland Council archaeologist Kirsty Cameron says an examination should take place.
Are there more prehistoric remains to be found at Inshes?
Most of the area where construction will take eventually take place has already been developed, so there is no concern there.
But pockets of undeveloped land at the site remain and there is the potential for buried remains to have survived.
Important features, including prehistoric burials, have been found during development of nearby areas.
Ms Cameron said: “An evaluation will allow an assessment of whether buried remains may survive.
“The evaluation may be all that is required. But it may also be the first stage in a programme of archaeological works.
“Many similar developments in the area have also required this process.”
The archaeological potential of the area means this work is standard practice.
But I know what you’re thinking. It’s taken such a long time to get here, the last thing we want to see is any more delays.
Fortunately, even if there is a significant find, it shouldn’t hold up the programme.
“In this case, the initial evaluation would not be expected to take more than one or two weeks,” Ms Cameron added.
“This would be carried out in advance of the start of any construction works on site.
“Further phases may be required depending on what, if anything, is identified, though generally this would not hold up the development schedule.”
Historic finds in Inverness
It is certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that more remains could be uncovered.
Given the way the whole Inshes roundabout saga has unfolded, can you even rule out an ancient curse being the thing that finally makes it all make sense?
But seriously, as Highland Council’s historic environment record map shows, there have been numerous finds in the nearby area.
The remnants of a Bronze or Iron Age settlement was recorded at Beechwood Farm shortly before the construction of Inverness Campus began.
A complex of ditches, pits and postholes – some containing prehistoric pottery – was uncovered.
Behind where the police headquarters on Old Perth Road now lies, a neolithic pit dating between 4000 and 2400 BC containing pottery and three waste flint flakes was discovered.
Fixing the Inshes roundabout has been on the council’s to-do list for a long time.
The junction’s wacky road markings and six exits have made it well-known in the city for all the wrong reasons.
But it is hoped that a new layout will reduce congestion and cut journey times.
According to planning papers lodged by the council in January, work will start at some point in 2024.
Once it is done, only four exits of the roundabout will remain and traffic lights will be installed.
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