Transport Scotland has revealed its two preferred options for linking two of the north’s busiest trunk roads at Inverness.
The multimillion-pound proposals for connecting the A9 Inverness-Perth and A96 Inverness-Aberdeen routes have been more than a decade in the making.
The long-running project will also include a major redesign of the traffic jam blackspot at the Longman Roundabout at the south side of the Kessock Bridge.
This will create a A9 traffic crossing the roundabout on a flyover similar to the Raigmore Interchange.
Transport Scotland said that the cost of the projects was estimated at between £90-145million.
It was hoped that a dual carriageway would link the A9 and A96, but the new road will now be a single carriageway distributor road.
The two options are similar.
Both start from Inshes Retail Park, with a bridge over the A9 south of the existing Inshes junction.
A new junction will be created on Castlehill Road, along with a new junction into the Inverness Shopping Park on the A96.
The road will then continue on to a new junction at Smithton.
However one of the options includes a proposal to close the existing Inshes slipway onto Culloden Road and construct a new, longer slip road further south leading off the A9.
The agency is due to publish the findings of a major study into the area shortly.
Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown said: “The Scottish Government wants to see improvements to our roads infrastructure right across the country to help support Scotland’s economy, and better connect our cities. It is why we have committed to and are pressing ahead with a major programme of works to dual the A9 and A96, amounting to nearly 170 miles of upgraded road.
“We also recognise that where these roads meet in our highland capital it is essential to provide the high quality road infrastructure needed to support economic growth and improve journey times for road users in and around Inverness.
“Transport Scotland has worked closely with Highland Council to consider how best to separate local trips from those on longer distance journeys and listened to local feedback. Two options for a single carriageway link road have now been identified for further design work which will improve access to and within the local communities and improve accessibility to the University of the Highlands and Islands campus.
“The study is also recommending grade separation of the A9/A82 Longman roundabout which will offer significant benefits, including road safety and journey time improvements, to those travelling on the key strategic routes of the A82, A9 and A96.
“I want to see the delivery of better performing roads for all, and today’s news is another welcome step forward in ensuring that ambition is realised.”
