A major bridge, which crosses the River Etive near Oban, is to close for traffic for five nights this month to allow essential electrical work to be carried out.
Maintenance works to road lighting and traffic signal systems on the A828 Connel Bridge will begin on Sunday, January 21.
It is scheduled to operate at the site from midnight until 6am.
Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s north-west representative, said: “These essential electrical works on Connel Bridge will ensure that the road lighting and traffic signal systems are maintained to a safe working standard.
“We’ve taken steps to minimise disruption as much as possible and arranged for this scheme to take place overnight and avoiding the busier Friday and Saturday nights to limit any impact as much as possible.
“The road closures are essential to keep everyone safe during the electrical works on the bridge, and teams will do all they can to complete the works as quickly and safely as possible.
“We encourage motorists to plan their journeys in advance by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up-to-date journey information and leaving extra time to complete their journey.”
The bridge will be closed every night to all traffic and pedestrians to allow safe access to the electrical systems. But it will be open as normal outwith these working hours.
Traffic will be diverted northbound at Connel via the A85 and A82 and southbound at Ballachulish via the A82 and A85 during working hours.
Emergency services will be able to pass through the works at all times.
The Connel Bridge is a spectacular cantilever steel structure which links the small villages of Connel and North Connel at the sea-mouth of Loch Etive, around five miles from Oban.
Originally a rail bridge when it opened in 1903, it had a longer span than any other in Britain apart from the Forth Road Bridge.
The Connel Bridge was modified for road traffic and pedestrians in 1966, but because it wasn’t wide enough for two lanes, traffic lights were installed on both ends of the bridge to enforce one-way traffic.
The bridge appears in the 1981 film Eye of the Needle, starring Donald Sutherland and features his character riding a stolen motorbike across the structure before disposing of it by pushing it down an embankment after it runs out of fuel.
