A9 dualling: The new rest areas with electric vehicle charging planned along major 110-mile road

Firms encouraged to develop roadside services as part of major route upgrade to the A9

A series of rest areas with electric vehicle charging points are expected to be created on the A9 alongside completion of dualling the key route between Perth and Inverness.

Developers will be encouraged to propose schemes which would provide more facilities than parking on the road’s existing laybys.

Dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness is due to be completed in 2035 | John Devlin/The Scotsman

It could mean a significant shift from no roadside services being provided on the A9 when it was upgraded to bypass the towns and villages along its 110-mile central stretch in the 1970s.

Construction is underway on the third of 11 remaining sections to be dualled, between Tomatin and Moy, with the overall 83 miles of widening due to be completed in 2035.

The Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency, which is in charge of the £3.7 billion project, said it was reliant on the private sector to develop rest areas. It launched an “Electric A9” project seven years ago to boost the number of charging points.

Major projects director Lawrence Shackman told an Institution of Civil Engineers lecture about the A9 dualling project: “The A9 will have a series of lay-bys. We aren’t allowed to put in rest areas ourselves. We are dependent on developers coming forward and bringing in those sorts of facilities.

“One of the key things with developers now who are putting forward service stations is that they will have electric charging points, so we’d look to the private sector to try and help us provide those facilities.

“Electric vehicle charging needs to be put in place so that everyone can stop and charge their vehicles just as they can get petrol for their cars or diesel for their lorries. I think that’s something that will happen as the road gets developed and there’s opportunities for developers to come in and suggest appropriately-placed facilities along the route.”

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A Transport Scotland spokesperson said “frequent and appropriately sized lay-bys” would be included in the dualling scheme, along with “improved connectivity to existing local services”.

The spokesperson said: “The provision of roadside facilities on the A9 is a commercial matter for prospective operators to pursue and develop.

“Any such application would have to go through the local authority planning process, subject to any preferred sites the relevant authority may have. Transport Scotland would assess any planning decisions to determine how appropriate they are in each individual case.”

Road safety campaigner Laùra Hänsler, who runs the A9 Dual Action Group, said: “People have been crying out for proper services, stop overs and toilet facilities the length of the A9 for decades now.

“It’s very concerning that Transport Scotland appears to have left such crucial parts of this road’s infrastructure and services as a gamble on the open market. With road safety being paramount, especially regarding driver fatigue over longer journeys, surely they would ensure proper service areas were factored into plans.”

EV charging point operator Source, run by Perth-based power firm SSE and fuel forecourt company TotalEnergies, welcomed the development potential.

Managing director Deepa Chandrasekaran said: “The A9 dualling project is a key opportunity to future-proof Scotland’s EV charging infrastructure. Optimally placed, safe, accessible charging will reduce driver fatigue and support fleet decarbonisation.

“Source is committed to working with Transport Scotland and developers to deliver reliable, ultra rapid charging hubs.”

Another operator, Ionity, will double the number of its EV chargers at a hub near the A9 in Perth from six to 12 this year and starts work next month on new hub at the Inshes Retail Park near the A9 in Inverness.

UK manager Andreas Atkins said the developments were “reinforcing not just our commitment, but the industry's collective effort, to support Scotland’s EV transition with fast, accessible, and reliable charging infrastructure.”