Plans to connect two of the north’s busiest roads have been branded the “mad mile” by campaigners who claim the scheme will do nothing to ease gridlock in the Highland capital.
Transport Scotland and the local authority are developing the so-called east link route between the A9 and A96 on the outskirts of Inverness.
But the project – which will cost between £50million and £90million – has been labelled “absurd” by critics and the local branch of the Scottish Greens have called for it to be scrapped.
The proposals have been on the drawing board for years, but the most designs unveiled showed a single carriageway distributor road through fields at Inshes – rather than the expected dual carriageway.
The plans also include a new flyover for the A9 Inverness-Perth road at the Longman Roundabout.
Transport Scotland said yesterday that the east link – which would connect the A9 to the A96 Inverness-Aberdeen road – route would improve access and help ease congestion on the trunk roads.
But the Green Party claimed the agency’s own figures indicated it could only save 20 seconds at most on peak time journeys.
Isla O’Reilly, a Highlands and Island candidate for next year’s Holyrood elections, described the plans as a “mad mile”.
She added: “Transport Scotland’s persistence with their A9-A96 link road is hugely disappointing, and raises serious questions about the agency’s priorities.
“At a time when there is an overwhelming case for significant investment in rail and cycling projects across the Highlands, it is unacceptable for Transport Scotland to continue to develop their proposal to spend tens of millions on an unnecessary and socially and environmentally damaging road project.
“Transport Scotland claim that the project is economically justifiable.
“But their analysis wholly fails to take any account of the negative impact the road would have on the prospects for a much-needed large-scale district park in east Inverness.
“Spending so much taxpayers’ money to save a comparatively few drivers a few seconds of time during just a couple of hours a day makes no sense at all.
“No mention is made of any savings during the rest of the day, probably because there wouldn’t be any.”
Inverness South councillor Jim Crawford, agreed with the Greens, saying: “The whole thing is a mess, I’m afraid.
“The east link really is a nonsense, it’s not a bypass at all. The only reason it exists is because the council planning department have to produce a development plan for building houses every five years and that area is zoned for them.”
Mr Crawford added that the uncertainty over where the road would link with the A9 at Inshes was “concerning”, and said he feared it could cause “chaos” during construction.
Smithton and Culloden Community Council chairman, David McGrath, said there was a demand for the road at the Culloden end but expressed concern about the Inshes link.
He added: “There’s all these ideas going about the east link and the new layout of the A96 and option 6 (the West Link road) but nobody seems to be looking at how it all joins up.
“Nobody is looking at the bigger picture or listening to what the people actually want or need.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “The proposals for linking the A9 and A96 have been developed in close conjunction with the Highland Council’s plans for east Inverness and providing such a link will improve access for all as well as addressing the well-known congestion issues on the A96 between Raigmore and Smithton.”
Councillor Matthew Reiss, deputy chairman of the local authority’s planning, development and infrastructure committee, said: “The council is fully supportive of the east link proposals and will work positively with Transport Scotland and the local community to ensure that this important transport link will assist in bringing forward the development strategy as set out in the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan, including green space and park provision.”