Long-awaited work to improve the notorious Berriedale Braes will begin next week.
Blasting and testing will take place on the perilous hairpin stretch of the A9 on Tuesday to determine the condition of the road’s structure.
The project, being undertaken by contractors R J MacLeod, is part of a £9.6 million upgrade to minimise the need for vehicles to slow down or stop to negotiate the sharp bend.
Kevin Knox, project manager for Transport Scotland said: “This investigation work is essential to inform the contractor’s plan for excavating the rock later this year to construct the improvements required to remove the hairpin bend.
“The temporary measures being put in place for the work are precautionary to ensure the health and safety of the public. The contractor will endeavour to carry out this work as efficiently as possible to minimise the delay and we would ask for the cooperation of the travelling public during this time.”
During the works four small scale trial rock blasts will be conducted between 1pm and 3.30pm.
Each test is expected to last no longer than 10 minutes as part of an effort to reduce the level of disruption to traffic commuting on the busy route.
All road users will be held back at either end of the site while the blasts are conducted, with the road expected to reopen in a matter of minutes following a series of safety checks.
The works are the first in a series of steps being taken to prepare for the extensive alterations to the notorious route which in recent years has been pinpointed as a prime accident hotspot.
Caithness councillor Mathew Reiss said: “Basically as every Caithness motorists will know Berriedale Braes has long been a problematic area. All the Caithness councillors very much hope the project runs on time and smoothly and the improvement to the hairpin bend is one part of what should be a longer term aspiration to improve much of the A9 north of Dornoch.
“The one they’re removing is by far and away the worst one and that’s the one the lorries get stuck on and jack knife but there are plenty of other pretty challenging sections. We are obviously very pleased with what’s happening but there are plenty of other areas where improvement works can be done.”
Construction of the new bend is expected to get underway by the end of the year prior to its completion by spring 2020.