Improvements to A9 in Caithness move closer

IMPROVEMENTS to a notorious stretch of the A9 in Caithness have taken a step forward.

Three tenders have been submitted from consulting engineers to Transport Scotland to carry out a detailed study on the redesign of the Berriedale Braes

An announcement on the successful bid is expected on 3 April.

SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland Ross, Rob Gibson said: “This is welcome news and a further development for Berriedale Braes north slope by-pass.

“There have been complaints about the state of the Berridale Braes for around 50 years, so it is good to see moves towards a solution is gathering pace.

“This study will go the last mile to make the project shovel ready with more of chance of the work being carried out soon.

“This study will be a small but important step in helping to solve the bottle neck on the A9 into Caithness.”

The Berriedale Braes lie just south of Berriedale village. On the way north, the A9 drops down steeply (13% over 1.3km), crosses a river and rises steeply again (13% over another 1.3km). There area number of tight hairpin bends on the route.