Inverness swing bridge out-of-action for almost a week due to heat
Tomnahurich swing bridge in Inverness has been out of bounds for almost a week due to the weather.
The road – part of the A82 – has been closed to motorists since Friday.
A spokesperson for Scottish Canals said: “Due to heat expansion, Tomnahurich Bridge, on the Caledonian Canal has been closed to road traffic since Friday, June 16. As a result of recent extreme hot weather, we are unable to swing the bridge.
“We have been monitoring the weather closely and as a pre-emptive measure to minimise disruption to both traffic and canal users a nearby diversion was put in place at Torvean bridge over the weekend.
“The bridge has been open to our canal users during this period and our team are working with both Transport Scotland and BEAR Scotland to resolve this issue with our 200-year-old asset.”
It is too difficult to predict when it will be operational again.
Weather has also impacted the operations of the River Ness hydro scheme and water levels in the river and Loch Ness.
More warm weather is expected over the next few days, with the forecast reaching 24 degrees on Saturday in Inverness. However, it is due to drop into the high teens next week.
The bridge was out of action for a similar period at Easter due to an electrical fault.