Council confirms preferred option for Inverness West Link Road

The Highland Council has confirmed the preferred route for the Inverness West Link Road, which will provide a new transport link from the Southern Distributor Road at Dores Road to the A82 trunk road via a fixed link across the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal.

It has chosen Option 6, which follows a sweeping alignment along the river bank from Dores Road Roundabout to cross the River Ness at the Precast Yard/Weir.  Thereafter the link road will follow the toe of the Caledonian Canal embankment to a tandem canal bridge arrangement at Tomnahurich. The estimated cost is £27.2 million.

The West Link project is included in the Council’s capital programme with a phased programme of work ready to start in 2014/15
Councillors agreed Option 6is the most deliverable and affordable of the eight options considered during a two year period of consultation and fully recognised the opportunity to enhance sporting facilities in the Bught / Torvean area when building the new link road.

Council Convener Sandy Park said: “Option 6 is deliverable and affordable and the one that gives us the best chance of achieving a start in 2015.”

Provost Jimmy Gray, Chairman of the Council’s Inverness City Committee, said:  “I am convinced that Option 6 provides us with the best solution. We need to make very early progress with this project to ease congestion in the city centre and take full advantage of the opportunities presented in the redesign of the Bught / Torvean area to provide the city with enhanced sporting facilities.”