Work on beleaguered stretch of A9 to begin this month

Preparatory work to dual a section of the A9 is due to begin this month, the Scottish Government has said.

The tender for the stretch between Tomatin and Moy in the Highlands previously returned just a single bid, which was deemed not to be value for money for the taxpayer.

As a result, ministers were forced to push back the original 2025 deadline for dualling the road between Perth and Inverness by a decade.

Balfour Beatty were awarded the contract for £184.7 million earlier this year and Transport Scotland announced on Monday initial works will begin on October 21, with main construction due to start in the spring.

The section is due to become operational in the spring of 2028.

“I am pleased that, as promised, the Scottish Government is delivering rapid progress on our programme to dual the A9,” Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said.

“News that the main construction works on the Tomatin to Moy section will start in spring is welcome and I am pleased that Balfour Beatty is pressing ahead with these preparatory works.

“This is an important step in our contractor’s programme which should allow them to hit the ground running when main construction work starts next spring.”

Beginning in November, the agency said, traffic management measures will be in place overnight on the stretch, including temporary traffic lights and a 30mph speed restriction along with more limited disruption during the day.

Balfour Beatty has also committed to a series of events for locals to discuss the impact of the work.

David Taylor, the project director at the firm, said: “These works will allow us to complete vital preparations for the site to provide safe access to and from the working areas.

“Alongside these site works, we are currently planning our ‘meet the contractor’ events and look forward to sharing our plans for the main works with the community.

“We would like to take the opportunity to thank road users and the local communities for their patience whilst we undertake these important works.”

Douglas Lumsden MSP, the Scottish Conservatives’ spokesman for net zero, energy and transport, said the news was merely a “further delay” and accused Ms Hyslop of pretending it was “progress”.

He said: “It is appalling brass neck from Fiona Hyslop to paint this further delay to the A9 dualling programme as progress.

“The SNP are already a decade behind schedule in upgrading this lifeline road and yet they continue to drag their heels.

“Common sense and public safety dictates that, after years of broken promises, the nationalists pull out all the stops to dual the A9 as quickly as humanly possible.

“It is completely unacceptable that motorists who rely on Scotland’s deadliest road continue to be treated with contempt by the SNP Government.”