A 200-year-old bridge in Inverness has lost its ability to swing because of high temperatures.
Scottish Canals said the bridge has been out of use since Friday, and it is not known when it will reopen.
The bridge forms part of the busy A82 road network between the city and its western edge toward Fort William.
Road users have been complaining that the bridge closure was causing tailbacks.
A new bridge over the canal, Torvean Bridge, has been taking the brunt of the displaced traffic – but closures of 15-20 minutes mean half hour tail backs in the city.
Inverness swing bridge closure meant councillor missed funeral
Councillor Duncan Macpherson, Inverness South ward, said he was disappointed to miss a funeral after he got caught up in a half-hour tailback on Wednesday.
He said: “I was on my way to the funeral of a family friend and I was so delayed I missed the start of the funeral and could not attend.
“The introduction of the new additional West Link Crossing on the Caledonian Canal was heralded as a big improvement to improve traffic flow into and out of Inverness.
“The second canal swing bridge 100 yards along the canal from the original bridge was intended to improve traffic flow from the A82 into the Highland capital and from city traffic out to Loch Ness and local traffic to Torvean, Kinmylies and Scorguie.
“Motorists have benefited from the extra bridge over the canal for two years now.”
He wants to know when the Tomnahurich bridge will reopen.
A Scottish Canals spokesman said: “Due to heat expansion, Tomnahurich Bridge, on the Caledonian Canal has been closed to road traffic since Friday June 16, as a result of recent extreme hot weather, we are unable to swing the bridge.
“We have been monitoring the weather closely and as a pre-emptive measure to minimise disruption to both traffic and canal users a nearby diversion was put in place at Torvean Bridge over the weekend.
He added: “The bridge has been open to our canal users during this period and our team are working with both Transport Scotland and BEAR Scotland to resolve this issue with our 200-year-old asset.”
