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North Coast 500 drivers are facing an 80-mile diversion due to a major electricity upgrade in the north-west Highlands .
The plans, managed by SSEN Transmission, will bring a renewable energy cable from the Western Isles ashore at Dundonnell. Residents have launched a petition against the closure which covers part of the North Coast 500. They say it will have a heavily negative impact on local services.
The project, which will see renewable power generated in the Western Isles fed into the National Grid, involves running a cable underground between Dundonnell and Beauly. Trish Stevens, owner of the Dundonnell Hotel, said she feared the works would drive away visitors arriving to travel on the NC500 route.
She told the BBC that notice period for the wor