Major roadworks to move crucial communications equipment between two Fort William bridges is set to cause eight months of disruption in the town.
BT Openreach will begin the works from November 16, which will run from the town centre along the A82 to the junction with the A830 at Lochybridge.
The work is needed to recover communications equipment from the former Basecamp Bridge railway bridge which is due to be demolished.
The bridge was replaced by a new crossing carrying the A82 Fort William to Inverness road over the railway near the Ben Nevis Hotel about 15 years ago and the telecommunication equipment will be installed in ready made ducts in the new bridge.
Openreach said that the majority of its network serving the A82 and A830 Fort William to Mallaig road corridors pass through ducts in the old bridge.
It includes multiple fibre optic and junctions cables connecting Fort William to the national network as well as main and local cables serving communities and businesses to the north and west of the town.
Fraser Rowberry, Openreach’s general manager in Scotland, said: “The initial duct laying between the entrance to the Argos/Poundstretcher retail park and the bridge will begin on November 16 and is programmed to take three weeks to complete.
“Openreach has arranged the works to ensure that there are two lanes in operation throughout the day with any lane closures at night time.
“This duct-laying work and the majority of the new cabling and the redundant cable removal will therefore take place at night to reduce traffic congestion through the town
“The complexity of the operation means the whole project will take around eight months to complete because once the initial duct laying is complete, there will be cabling works taking place at various locations along A82, with lengths of up to approximately 300m (980ft) under localised traffic management control.
He added: “We’ll be making every effort to minimise the timescale of the works and any inconvenience to road users.
“I’d like to ask drivers to bear with us as we carry out this necessary work to keep Fort William and its environs in touch with the rest of the world.”
A spokesman for BEAR Scotland added: “We will work closely with Openreach to minimise the impact of these works on residents, road users and businesses.”