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A9 dualling project

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Dualling work in 2021 between Luncarty and Pass of Birnam, the second section of the scheme.
LocationScotland (Perth to Inverness)
ProposerTransport Scotland
Project websitehttps://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/a9-dualling-perth-to-inverness/
StatusIn procurement [a]
TypeUpgrade to dual carriageway
Cost estimate£3 billion[1]
Start date2015
Completion date2035 (initially 2025)

In 2011, Transport Scotland has envisioned a plan to upgrade the remaining 90 miles (145 km) of the A9, a trunk road in Scotland, between Perth and Inverness from a single carriageway to a dual carriageway. This means that the road should be widened from one to two lanes per direction (two to four lanes total), and will also have a central reservation. It also means an increase in speed for cars and motorcycles from 60 mph to 70 mph (96 km/h to 112 km/h).[2]

A dual carriageway will allow drivers to overtake safely as they will not have to meet oncoming traffic and since a crash barrier will be provided on the central reservation, remove the risk of a head-on collision. As most of the A9 is currently a single carriageway, drivers may have to overtake heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) as they are limited to 50mph, which is 10 mph (16 km/h) lower than the speed limit for cars and motorcycles. The project started in 2015 with the hope to finish it in ten years time, but delays to the project meant that it would not be finished by the original deadline.

History[edit]

Early upgrades[edit]

The 138 mi (222 km) section between Bridge of Allan and Inverness, via Perth, was substantially rebuilt during the 1970s and 80s, but it follows essentially the same route except where it bypasses towns and villages instead of running through their centres. Between Perth and Inverness, the road has been dubbed Killer A9,[3] because of accidents and fatalities where dual-carriageway sections merge into a single-carriageway - the principal cause being motorists driving at excessive speeds to overtake lines of slower-moving vehicles before the dual carriageway ends. Dangerous overtaking manoeuvres on the long single-carriageway stretches of the road are also common causes of accidents, as are the non-grade separated junctions along the northern sections, where drivers make a right turn across the opposing traffic flow.[4]

One of the sections of dual carriageway built in the late 1970s/ early 1980s; this is the section in the north of Perthshire between Dalnacardoch and Dalnaspidal

The most significant alteration of the A9 route was the realignment of the route north from Inverness, crossing the Moray Firth via the Kessock Bridge, cutting through the Black Isle and back across the Cromarty Firth. This shortened the route by 14 mi (23 km), bypassing Beauly, Muir of Ord and Dingwall. Construction of the Kessock Bridge began in 1976 and it was completed in 1982.[5]

Since 2007, the Scottish Government has given serious consideration to converting the entire Perth-Inverness section to dual carriageway with more grade separated junctions, with the initial estimated cost at £600 million.[6] In late 2008, the Scottish Government's transport plan for the next 20 years was announced. It brought forward planned improvements to the A9 in an attempt to stimulate the economy and protect jobs.[7] Work costing a total of £8.5 million was undertaken at Moy, Carrbridge and Bankfoot. Northbound overtaking lanes were created and the carriageway was reconstructed at both Moy and Carrbridge. Junction improvements were also made at Moy and at the Ballinluig junction, south of Pitlochry.[7][8]

Speed cameras[edit]

The average speed cameras which became operational on the A9 in late 2014

In July 2013, the Scottish Government announced a plan to install average speed cameras on the A9 between Perth and Inverness. This has been undertaken with an aim to reduce accidents and fatalities on the road, and was the second permanent average speed camera scheme in Scotland.[9] They work by measuring the time it takes to drive between two cameras. Simultaneously, an increased speed limit for heavy goods vehicles from 40 mph (65 km/h) to 50 mph (80 km/h) was introduced to help mitigate driver frustration. This happened before the speed limit for HGVs would then apply to England and Wales.[10] Both became operational in October 2014.

The A9 Safety Group claim that the cameras have had a "positive influence" on road users, with the number of drivers breaking the speed limit by over 10 mph (16 km/h) decreasing by 97%.[11] Improvements to safety include at least 40% reduction in fatalities, and this has been attributed, at least in part, to a reduction in speeding, from 1 in 3 vehicles to just 1 in 15.[12] The average speed cameras may be removed after the A9 dualling project is done.

Construction[edit]

Announcement[edit]

In November 2011, the Scottish Government announced that it would upgrade the entire road from Perth to Inverness to dual carriageway.[13] The design contract was split into three lots with Lot 1 (Glengarry to Dalraddy) awarded to a CH2MHill/Fairhurst joint venture in April 2014.[14] Lot 2 (Pass of Birnam to Glengarry) was awarded to Jacobs in August 2014[15] and Lot 3 was awarded to an Atkins/Mouchel joint venture in December 2014.[16]

Completed sections[edit]

Award of the construction contract for a preliminary section (outwith Lots 1 to 3) of the £3 billion project was awarded in June 2015,[1]. Work began on the first 5 mi (8 km) section between Kincraig and Dalraddy (located just south of Aviemore) in September 2015.[17] After a slight delay, this section was opened to traffic two years later on 30 September 2017.[18] It is an isolated stretch of dual carriageway (i.e., this section isn't an extension of an existing dual carriageway or something that fills the gap, as was done for the second and third section down below). A 2+1 road section (also known as WS2+1) just of the first section was removed due to the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) CD 109 requirements of having a minimum of 2km of single carriageway in between, as well as an existing bridge in the way.[19]

The second section of the project was the 6 mile (10 km) section between Luncarty and Pass of Birnam. It started construction in early 2019[20] and finished on August 2021 with off-carriageway works to finish by 2022.[21] The two schemes combined means that Transport Scotland has converted 11 miles (17 km) of single carriageway to dual carriageway.

Third section: Tomatin to Moy[edit]

The third section (which hasn't started construction as of late 2023) is likely going to be the section between Tomatin and Moy, which is also 6 miles long.[22][23] The contract should be awarded in summer 2024 with construction to last around three years.[24] Some preparation works to this section include some trees being cut down and the new railway bridge, which were done in 2021 and 2022, ahead of the main construction work[25][26] The fourth section should be between Tay Crossing and Ballinluig

Section Status Construction started Construction ended
Luncarty to Pass of Birnam Complete February 2019[20] August 2021[27]
Kincraig to Dalraddy Complete September 2015[17] September 2017[18]
Tomatin to Moy In procurement Expected by end of 2024 Due 2027

The other eight sections are marked as 'in preparation'. Source:[28]

Delays[edit]

The full scheme was originally scheduled for completion in 2025,[29][30][31] but in December 2023 this deadline was postponed by a decade to late 2035.[32] Only 11 out of 90 miles of the A9 were converted to dual carriageway from 2015 to 2023, meaning that the project is no where near complete.

A study in 2016 found that the dualling project would cost more to construct than it would bring in, including wider economic benefits.[33]

Criticism[edit]

Plans to dual the A9 and A96 have been criticised by Patrick Harvie of the Scottish Greens, who has said the plans are incompatible with the Scottish Government's climate initiatives.[34]

The A9 runs through the site of the Battle of Killiecrankie. Expanding the road here will destroy some of the battleground. Transport Scotland say dualling the road will have "some impact" on the site.[35]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Between Tomatin and Moy with the rest as 'in preparation'. The last construction work as of June 2024 happened in August 2021 between Luncarty and Pass of Birnam.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Major Milestone As A9 Dualling Construction Set To Get Underway | Transport Scotland". www.transportscotland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  2. ^ "Speed limits". GOV.UK. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  3. ^ Maciver, Iain (2023-07-19). "Iain Maciver: Killer A9 should keep Scotland's politicians awake at night". Press and Journal. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  4. ^ Duffy, Judith (25 March 2012). "Scotland's most dangerous roads". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  5. ^ Brocklehurst, Steven (6 March 2014). "Life and death on the A9". BBC News (Scotland - Highlands & Islands). Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  6. ^ "Full A9 upgrade 'to bring extra £300m into economy'". Inverness Courier. 2 November 2007. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  7. ^ a b "A9 upgrades brought forward in bid to boost economy". Inverness Courier. 5 December 2008. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  8. ^ "The toll road: The dangers of driving the A9". The Scotsman. 21 November 2010. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  9. ^ "Average speed cameras for A9 from Dunblane to Inverness". BBC News (Scotland - Highlands & Islands). 26 July 2013. Archived from the original on 9 November 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  10. ^ "HGV speed limits in the UK".
  11. ^ "A9 average speed cameras 'have reduced speeding'". BBC News. 26 January 2015. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  12. ^ "Comprehensive A9 performance data published". Scottish Government. 20 April 2018. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Dualling of Perth to Inverness A9 to finish by 2025". BBC News (Scotland - Highlands & Islands). 29 November 2011. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  14. ^ "First multi-million pound A9 Dualling design contract awarded - Ground investigation work to get underway | Transport Scotland". www.transportscotland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  15. ^ "Another multi-million pound A9 dualling contract awarded | Transport Scotland". www.transportscotland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  16. ^ "Young People Jobs Boost From A9 Dualling Contracts | Transport Scotland". www.transportscotland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  17. ^ a b "Work begins on dualling A9 from Inverness to Perth". BBC News. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  18. ^ a b "First new stretch of A9 dual carriageway opens". BBC News. 30 September 2017. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  19. ^ "CD 109 - Highway link design". standardsforhighways.co.uk.. The information for readers is located at para 6.4
  20. ^ a b https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/a9-dualling-luncarty-to-birnam-traffic-restrictions-and-overnight-closures/
  21. ^ https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/a9-dualling-milestone-met-on-luncarty-to-pass-of-birnam-scheme-04-06-2021/
  22. ^ "Contractors shortlisted for delayed A9 Tomatin to Moy upgrade". BBC News. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  23. ^ https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/major-progress-on-design-of-pass-of-birnam-to-tay-crossing-section-of-a9-dualling-programme/
  24. ^ https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/new-tender-opportunity-launched-for-a9-dualling-tomatin-to-moy-project/
  25. ^ Robertson, Lauren (14 February 2022). "Preparation for A9 dualling between Tomatin and Moy gets under way". Press and Journal (Scotland).
  26. ^ "Mole cuts through railway embankment at Lynebeg in Scottish Highlands". Network Rail. 31 Aug 2021.
  27. ^ "Luncarty to Pass of Birnam Overview". Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  28. ^ "A9 Dualling Perth to Inverness". Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  29. ^ Candlish, June (16 June 2015). "First contract awarded to start dualling of the A9". The Press & Journal. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  30. ^ "A9 dualling Perth to Inverness". Transport Scotland. Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  31. ^ "Work begins on dualling A9 from Inverness to Perth". BBC News. 10 September 2015. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  32. ^ "Delivery plan for remaining A9 dualling projects announced". Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  33. ^ "The A9 dualling project – crucial for Scotland?". SPICe Spotlight | Solas air SPICe. 2020-02-18. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  34. ^ Malik, Paul (12 February 2020). "Scottish Government told continuing to dual the A9 and A96 is at odds with its 'green' budget claims". The Courier. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  35. ^ "Campaigners fight plan to dual A9 at Killiecrankie Battlefield". BBC News. 2020-01-13. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-27.

External links[edit]

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