Councillors have rejected a raft of arrangements proposed as part of dualling the A96 Inverness-Aberdeen route.
Scottish transport chiefs said last night that they would study the local authority’s feedback.
There was general consensus among the council’s transport committee members, meeting in Inverness yesterday, that changes would be necessary to various connections on the 15-mile stretch between Smithton on the outskirts of Inverness and Auldearn, east of Nairn.
Although the A96 is a trunk route – and therefore a government responsibility – the council was consulted as part of the process to establish satisfaction about links to communities along the way.
Committee chairman Allan Henderson described the multimillion-pound scheme as “a huge piece of work that will put a strain on the council.”
In the wake of the long awaited new link, the local authority will assume financial responsibility for more road miles and new junctions.
Councillors rejected specific proposals affecting five separate draft orders involving “detrunking” and “stopping-up” sections and proposed new side roads along the planned dual carriageway.
Their observations will now be considered in detail by the roads agency.
The committee objected to the layout of intersections near Smithton, Brackla, Gollanfield, Granny Barbour Road in Nairn and near Auldearn.
A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “The Scottish Government has given a clear commitment to dual the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen by 2030, which will deliver around 86 miles of upgraded road between Scotland’s two northernmost cities.
“We’re working hard to progress the dualling which when completed will help tackle congestion, make journey times more reliable and, crucially, improve road safety.
“As we’ve developed our plans, we’ve been in discussion with the council since 2013.
“We’ll consider all comments, including any from the council, as we take forward our plans.”
