BEAR Scotland has announced a new £1.7M maintenance project on the A9 Cromarty Bridge, which will protect the structure against scour for years to come.

The project involves the installation of rock armour around five of the bridge's pier foundations, that are located within the tidal estuary. Around 8,000 tonnes of rock will be installed around the piers using an excavator on top of a barge anchored to the seabed, offering protection from tidal erosion. A similar project was completed last year which involved the installation of rock armour around six of the bridge's pier foundations.

The programme of scour protection works is expected to take around three months to complete.

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The majority of the project will take place underneath the bridge and delays to traffic are expected to be minimal; however, some off-peak traffic management will be required on occasion to allow for the safe delivery of materials to the site.

A temporary speed restriction of 30mph is currently in place at the northern end of the bridge and this will remain in force for the duration of the project to help protect the workforce at the site compound, which is located at the layby to the north of the bridge.

The works will be closely supervised by BEAR Scotland's Environmental team such that the works do not impact on the bird, mammal and fish species that are associated with the estuary.

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland's North West Representative, said: "We're delighted to see the next phase of scour protection work get underway at Cromarty Bridge as it will further protect the structure from tidal erosion.

"The speed limit in place is required to ensure the safety of our workforce; however, as the majority of works are taking place underneath the bridge, motorists should expect minimal disruption when passing the worksite.

"Our teams will do all they can to complete the project as quickly and safely as possible, and we do encourage all road users to plan their journeys in advance by checking Traffic Scotland for the latest journey information."