The Scottish Government has bowed to public pressure and accelerated the start date of dualling the notorious A9.
As the road continues to claim yet more lives four people have died this month alone growing disquiet was voiced at the timetabling of the upgrade.
Work had been due to get under way in 2017, but now the £3 billion programme for dualling the A9 is set to start two years early with an enhanced scheme south of Aviemore.
Alex Neil, cabinet secretary for infrastructure and capital investment, is in Perthshire today to make the formal announcement.
”The A9 is the longest trunk road in Scotland and we have always said that delivery by 2025 was challenging but achievable,” said Mr Neil.
”To put the sheer scale of the project in perspective it is 16 times the length of the recently completed M74 and eight times the length of the M80 between Stepps and Haggs.
”I’m especially delighted to announce we are advancing the Kincraig-Dalraddy section to full dualling and doing so early.
”This development of the existing scheme will now provide overtaking opportunities in both directions, breaking up platooning and reducing driver frustration.
”Not only are we adding these additional safety benefits, we are also getting under way two years earlier than previously expected.”
Mr Neil continued: ”Dualling each of these seven existing single carriageway sections represents a major project in its own right. Each requires in-depth planning and design to ensure that we deliver the right scheme at the right price and each needs to keep impacts on communities, businesses and the environment to an absolute minimum.”
With seven sections of single carriageway, covering 80 miles in total, the complex and challenging programme is likely to act as a major catalyst for growth in the cities of Perth and Inverness and bring benefits for Scotland’s tourism industry.
Mr Neil will be at Luncarty today to discuss the preparations for one of the sections to be dualled under the scheme, the 9km stretch to the Pass of Birnam.
Today’s announcement sets out detail for the massive project, while also laying out the Government’s intention to bring forward urgent actions to improve safety on the route, led by the A9 Route Safety Group.
”There is a great deal of detailed work to do and while we’ve taken into account the statutory process in terms of delivery by 2025, the programme will develop and construction of some of the sections may overtake others as we progress with our plans,” said Mr Neil.
”We have already been engaging with the communities affected by the work immediately north of Perth and this will continue.
”In the immediate future, and ongoing, we will continue to invest in short and medium-term improvements on the A9 in anticipation of dualling. I have asked the A9 Route Safety Group to investigate and recommend a series of urgent actions to improve safety on the A9.
”This work will build on the significant and consistently high level of investment in our road safety campaigns over the past few years and reflects our determination to drive down the number of casualties on our roads.”
The announcement will please campaigners who have highlighted the A9’s accident record statistics released recently revealed it had the highest or joint highest fatality rate of all roads in Scotland in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010.