Roads bosses have outlined the penultimate stages of a mammoth resurfacing project in a Speyside village.
Transport Scotland has ploughed more than £2.3million into a scheme along Aberlour’s High Street since it began.
Work on the stretch of the A95 got underway last May, despite protests from traders who claimed scheduling it over the summer season would destroy tourist income.
The project was waylaid when engineers discovered an unrecorded water main running the length of the thoroughfare.
But Scottish Water finished replacing it last month, and Bear Scotland has confirmed plans to complete only a short phase of work before taking a break over summer.
Tomorrow, a two-week maintenance and resurfacing scheme will launch along a chunk of the High Street between Conval Drive and the village’s cemetery.
The work will take place in stages and is scheduled to take place only on weekdays.
Further talks are underway to determine the programming of the final phase of improvements, which will take place after the summer.
Bear Scotland’s North East representative, Andy Thompson said the firm was making a huge effort to reduce any impact the remainder of the work might have on businesses.
He said: “We’ve worked closely with the local community to determine how to best move this forward, and have taken their feedback on board.
“We’ve scheduled the next phase of work to take place ahead of the peak-tourist period, and will avoid working at weekends to keep disruption to a minimum.
“We are working with the community to determine how to programme the final phase of the improvements, which will take place later in the year.”
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead has scheduled a meeting with Scottish Water top brass in an attempt to thrash out a compensation agreement for traders whose takings have suffered.
He said: “We will look to establish what can be done to help the small businesses that have been effected by the prolonged works, and I’m looking forward to having the chance to sit down with the chief executive of Scottish Water to discuss this issue face to face.
“It is welcome that the scheduling for this phase of the works in Aberlour has been done in consultation local businesses.”