'Mystery' for delighted motorists as Ness Bridge roadworks temporarily vanish – just 48 hours after they began
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A MOTORING mystery left puzzled yet delighted drivers briefly scratching their heads today – after roadworks which were supposed to last six weeks simply disappeared.
The Ness Bridge in the heart of Inverness was closed in one direction on Monday morning, at the start of what is planned to be six weeks of inspection work on the busy river crossing.
But, although the work is expected to last until the back end of May – with minor breaks to allow Etape Loch Ness cyclists to pass through this weekend, and Race for Life runners to cross on May 14 – the contractors had vanished by Wednesday, barely 48 hours after they'd begun.
Highland Council has now confirmed that contractors had finished their first stage of the inspection earlier than planned. The second stage of the works will then go ahead as scheduled, with the works than continuing until late May.
"Ness Bridge in Inverness has reopened to traffic flowing in both directions at 12.30pm today," said a council spokesman. "This is a temporary reopening of the bridge. The bridge will remain open in both directions until this Saturday evening at midnight.
"The roadworks will then resume as planned this Sunday, April 23, with restrictions back in place.
"On Sunday there will be a westbound lane closure and the Etape will make use of the closed carriageway on Sunday. The bridge works will resume on Monday using the same closure."
Related: Weeks-long closure of busy Inverness bridge gets under way as inspection begins
The works, according to the original schedule, were expected to see the eastbound carriageway shut to traffic until this weekend.
The westbound lane would then close from April 23 to May 16, before the workers switch again to the eastbound lane for a final stint from May 17 to May 26. These parts of the work will go ahead as planned on those dates.
When the works do resume they will only be focused on the Ness Bridge, will only ever involve the closure of one lane at a time, and all surrounding roads will remain open as usual.
