A9 dualling: Drivers face 43 miles of roadworks as huge road upgrade ramps up

Drivers will face more than 40 miles of roadworks on the A9 between Perth and Inverness when dualling work reaches its peak, Transport Scotland officials have revealed.

That means there will be restrictions over one third of the 110 miles between the cities within a few years.

Transport Scotland head of project delivery Rob Galbraith said “very extensive” traffic management measures, which are likely to include reduced speed limits, would be required over up to 43 miles simultaneously to complete the hugely delayed project by its new deadline of 2035.

How the Tay Crossing to Ballinluig section is expected to look when completed by the end of 2028 | Transport Scotland

He said “an enormous amount of work” was required to achieve that.

However, each stretch of roadworks will be limited to 15 miles, with at least a six-mile gap between them.

READ MORE: A9 dualling: The biggest challenges facing one of the largest projects in Scottish history

The measures were announced in Perth on Wednesday as part of an annual update on the £3.7 billion scheme, which should have been completed by the end of this year.

Some 80 miles have still to be dualled between the two cities, with work on the latest six-mile section, between Tomatin and Moy south of Inverness, getting underway in April. A 40mph limit that will remain in place until it is finished in 2028.

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Construction of the next stretch to be widened, five miles between the Tay crossing north of Dunkeld and Ballinluig, is due to start next spring. That will be followed by four other remaining sections, whose contracts are due to be awarded between 2028 and 2030.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “There will be continuous work from the north to the south. The scheduling of it has been done to try and avoid as much driver frustration in terms of road traffic management, but road safety management is important for drivers and the construction workers involved.

“You cannot build a major dualling project like this without having some disruption.

“That will be managed as carefully as possible, but we want to take drivers with us, and for them to understand in planning their timing and their routes what will be involved.

“We are trying to spread out the areas of disruption, but need to be conscious that that will be a regular feature of the coming years. That allows us to deliver almost 50 per cent of dualling by 2030, 85 per cent by 2033 and completion by the end of 2025.”

A new bridge will be built over the River Tummel as part of the Pitlochry to Killiecrankie section | Transport Scotland

Loretta McLaughlan, who chairs Killiecrankie, Fincastle and Tummel Community Council, said: “This means that most of the project is going to be under construction at the same time.

“Drivers obviously want it dualled, but I don’t know if they appreciate what that’s going to mean. But if they want it done by 2035, that’s what’s going to have to happen.”

Ms McLaughlin said driver frustration during work on the most recent section to be completed, between Luncarty and Pass of Birnam four years ago, had been “horrendous”.

She said: “Everyone complained about the delays because we had 40mph limits for years.”

The A9 will be moved west to adjoin Dunkeld Station (background left) with its car park moved east | Transport Scotland

However, Laura Hansler, who lives in Kincraig, near Aviemore, and runs the A9 Dual Action Group, said: “I have not heard anything negative about the work on the Tomatin to Moy stretch.

“I think it’s going to come down to driver education because you’re going to have to break a few eggs to make this cake. It’s a massive project and drivers are just going to have to accept that this is part and parcel of us delivering the project on time.

“It’s a long-term investment for the future - we have to get this project done.”

The Scottish Government agency also revealed that a decision had still to be taken over whether to press ahead with planned private sector funding for the 52-mile central section of the scheme.

The cost of two contracts for the Killiecrankie to Slochd stretch would be repaid over 30 years but that is expected to total more overall than by traditional government funding.