THE Scottish Government has revealed 17 route options for the multimillion-pound plan to dual the A96 between Inverness and Nairn and bypass the seaside town.
The proposals will go on show to the public today – but the Press and Journal has been given a preview of the blueprint for the long-awaited scheme.
Transport Minister Keith Brown was in the north yesterday to urge the public to have their say on the project, which is part of the massive £3billion Inverness-Aberdeen dualling programme due for completion by 2030.
All the route options have the potential to affect the habitat of badgers, bats, red squirrels and otters.
Roads agency Transport Scotland said historic ground, such as the site of the Battle of Auldearn, had to be avoided.
However, Nairn farmer Glen Allingham – who owns the Really Garlicky Company – said last night he was “shocked” at the bypass proposals for the town and claimed some of the options would “destroy” his property.
Nairn Provost Laurie Fraser hailed the progress made on the project and said it would ease town-centre congestion.
Transport Scotland has drawn up nine possible routes for the town’s bypass.
Two locations are proposed for crossing the River Nairn and, from there, several options pass on either side of Auldearn village before rejoining the current route.
There are eight options for a new road between the Smithton junction at Inverness and Gollanfield. They diverge on either side of the existing route before meeting at a new junction near the Castle Stuart turnoff.
Some routes then closely follow the line of the existing road, while others swing through farmland at Morayston or Tornagrain woods, rejoining the current road at the Brackla junction.
Some variants involve the construction of flyovers at junctions at Balloch and Inverness Airport, while others feature large roundabouts.
Mr Brown said the preferred route would be chosen next year, but the strategic engineering assessment for the entire 99-mile road between Aberdeen and the Highland capital would be considered before a decision was made on which section to build first.
He added: “The scale of the project in front of us is evident from this exhibition. The dualling of the A96 and the A9 are the largest transport projects in Scotland, at around £3billion apiece.
“It’s only right that we ask local people to come forward with their preference for the road.
“The final preferred option will be chosen in 2014 and it will take around 18 months after that for the planning process. There is also the possibility of a public local inquiry.
“We are further ahead on the Inverness to Nairn section and that work could go ahead fairly quickly but we have to look at the project as a whole and look at what part to progress first.”
Mr Brown added: “In addition to Nairn, the A96 bisects a number of other communities and we recognise there will be a requirement for bypasses around Forres, Elgin, Keith and Inverurie.”
To date, £945,000 has been spent on early engineering and environmental assessments, traffic surveys and aerial plans.
The public exhibition opens in the Golf View Hotel at Nairn today before moving to Inverness Town House tomorrow and the Ramnee Hotel at Forres on Friday, all from noon-7pm.
The exhibition will also be taken to Keith, Elgin, Huntly, Dyce and Inverurie before the end of the month.
The deadline for responses to the public consultation is January 31 next year.
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