Highland roads: Major A9 bridge near Dingwall on North Coast 500 route hit by 20 weeks of overnight works

A key A9 bridge on the North Coast 500 route will face 20 weeks of construction work starting from this month.

Overnight maintenance work will be carried out on both lanes of the road over Cromarty Bridge, near Dingwall, from Monday, July 21.

A 30mph speed restriction is being put in place 24 hours a day while work is ongoing.

Temporary traffic lights will be on the bridge at night from 7pm until 6am on weekdays, and 24 hours a day on Saturdays and Sundays. The footpath will remain open at all times.

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BEAR Scotland, the company carrying out the works, said large-scale events including the Black Isle Show and the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival had been factored into the planning. Daytime temporary traffic lights will be removed during these times.

The operator said signals would also be manually controlled at peak times to minimise disruption for drivers. The total cost of the work is estimated at £2.9 million.

The bridge is a key part of the North Coast 500 route. | Google

Euan Scott, BEAR Scotland’s north-west representative, said: “This refurbishment is an important investment in this major structure by Transport Scotland, which will help ensure the long-term integrity of the bridge.

“Learnings from previous works on Cromarty Bridge have been built into the planning for these improvements and have been designed to minimise traffic disruption.

“We are committed to completing this essential maintenance as quickly and safely as possible. We thank all road users and the local community for their patience in advance. Please plan ahead by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up-to-date journey information and leave some extra time to complete journeys.”

Scottish Water have postponed plans to close the A862 from Ardullie roundabout to Dingwall for a water main upgrade during the same period. The proposed works, lasting 13 weeks, had sparked concern in the local community about the impact on drivers.

A spokesperson for Scottish Water said: “We recently we attended a meeting organised by Kiltearn Community Council, and listened to the concerns that residents and local businesses had, both about the work to renew the local water network and its timing.

“As a result of this, we are proposing to defer the work that is needed until Spring 2026. This will give our team opportunity to look again at the options to minimise and mitigate disruption; and to engage further with roads authorities, Network Rail and local communities.

“In the meantime, we would like to apologise for the concerns that the proposed road closure has caused locally. The work we need to carry out is essential, but our aim is always to minimise and mitigate the disruption that this involves as far as we reasonably can.”