The multi-million pound scheme is one of a number of blueprints to bypass towns in the North which have failed to get off the drawing board.

Thurso Community Council believes the major new activity expected at Scrabster from marine power and offshore oil traffic gives new momentum to the campaign.

According to community council vice-chairman Bert Macleod, the bypass will be needed to accommodate the new heavy plant which Scrabster harbour is gearing up to handle.

Speaking at the latest meeting, he said: "They are looking to provide lifting facilities for up to 1000 tonnes.

"With loads of that size, surely the time is ripe to resurrect the calls to the Scottish Government for a Thurso bypass?

"After all, whatever comes through Scrabster by land has got to go through Thurso and the town is just not capable of coping with all this extra throughput."

The call was backed by Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MSP Jamie Stone.

He said: "There does reach a point in every community when traffic passing through its centre becomes too much to handle.

"If our hopes come to fruition regarding Scrabster and the new developments, the case for a Thurso bypass certainly ought to be looked at again.

"I'd see it being very much part of the infrastructural investment which will be needed as the new development starts to come on stream."

Scrabster Harbour Trust intends going ahead with a £50 million phased development, which includes a new industrial park.

The expansion is being designed to service the new marine energy industry planned in the Pentland Firth and the oil and gas fields in the Atlantic frontier.

As well as backing the bypass, the community councillors also highlighted the need for a major upgrade in the electricity grid network.

Mr Macleod said the prospects for marine energy in the Pentland Firth look very bright with there being enough spare capacity to cope with the 700 megawatts of energy due to be produced from small-scale developments.

However, he said that without a new subsea cable, a full commercial operation could not go ahead.

"The grid appears to be the main stumbling block," he said. "After the first phase is over, there would be no way of getting the power out, as things stand just now."

A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: "A bypass of the A9 at Thurso is not currently planned.

"However, the Scotland's Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) is examining the longer-term needs of Scotland's national strategic transport network.

"This includes consideration of the transport corridor from Inverness to Wick/Thurso and the northern isles.

"Ministers are considering the emerging findings of this and an announcement is expected in November."

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