A community leader fears that 40,000 motorists could soon be trying to use one junction because of major housing developments on the eastern outskirts of Inverness.
Smithton and Culloden Community Council chairman David McGrath issued the warning over the proposed 2,500-home Stratton project.
Under revised plans, revealed by the Press and Journal last week, Barn Church Road would remain at the heart of the proposed new town, with traffic calming measures introduced on the route.
The boss of the developer, Hazledene Inverness, pledged last night that the scheme would trigger millions of pounds of investment in new roads in the area.
But Mr McGrath believes the plan would not be acceptable once the new A96 Aberdeen road is built, as Barn Church Road will already be the main access road for several communities.
He said: “The big issue is that the Smithton Roundabout will be replaced with a grade junction, or flyover. That will be the only access from the area to the A96.
“It’s all got to come through there. There’s everything from Balloch, Smithton, Culloden Woodside – that’s 30,000 to 40,000 people are going to have to go through that junction if they want to go on the new road.
“This is not going to happen. There’s already a one mile traffic jam to get out of it. We’re not going to help them to exacerbate that problem.
“It can’t be modified just to suit their particular plan. There’s got to be an access distributor road for the entire area.”
Mr McGrath calculated that combined with the proposed new town at Tornagrain, and the mooted redevelopment of the former fabrication yard at Ardersier, there could be an extra 10,000 homes built in east Inverness over the next two decades.
Mark Shaw, chief executive of the Hazledene Group, said that the developer had contacted the community council, and expected to meet its members in June to discuss any concerns.
He added: “We will be putting in place full evidence-based traffic mitigation as part of the development, based on actual, up-to-date, measured traffic flows.
“The existing infrastructure will be improved, and certainly not burdened by the development, which will fund millions of pounds of roads’ enhancement.”
Transport Scotland has asked Highland Council for an extension to the consultation deadline for the development brief as it assesses its impact on the A96.
