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Mid-Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has expressed disappointment at the SNP Government due to the lack of details and plans for the dualling of the A9.
In a set of parliamentary questions on the A9, Murdo asked the SNP Government when it will begin phase 1 work of dualling the A9, as outlined in the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR). In response, Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson MSP stated:
“Upgrading the A9 remains a priority for this Government and is clearly identified as such within the STPR and current design work is progressing to dual the Birnam to Luncarty section.
“The Strategic Transport Projects Review provides a robust framework of prioritised schemes, the delivery of which will be prioritised in each spending review. A timetable for undertaking the phase 1 work on the A9 upgrade from Dunblane to Inverness will therefore be developed as part of this prioritisation process. We have a fully committed programme of transport infrastructure investment to 2012. Recent improvements to the A9 have included a new flyover at Ballinluig.”
Murdo also asked the SNP Government to set out the estimated cost to dual the A9. In response, the Transport Minister stated:
“In STPR Report 4, the first phase of the A9 upgrading from Dunblane to Inverness is expected to have a cost in the range £500m to £1bn. This is broken down as Dunblane – Perth £100m to £250m, Broxden and Inveralmond junctions £50m to £100m, partial dualling (Perth – Blair Atholl) and 2+1 sections £500m to £1bn.
“These costs will be refined as the more detailed design and development work associated with each intervention moves forward with the aim of reaching a final estimate.”
The STPR, which sets out the SNP Government’s plans for transport infrastructure investment, pledges to upgrade the A9 to dual carriageway status from Perth to Inverness. However, there is no detail for the pledges and Murdo lodged the parliamentary questions in order to ascertain from the SNP Government when road users of the A9 will see works commence on the road.
Commenting, Murdo said:
“It is disappointing that the SNP Government is refusing to give a projected date for the completion of the A9 dualling between Perth and Inverness. It is even more disappointing that the SNP Government seem to have no details of a set timetable or start date for the A9 dualling.
“There will be anger and dismay among road users of the A9 as it is now clear that the SNP Government pledge to dual the A9 has been made with no clear timetable and no commitment of budgets. With the STPR listing 29 projects for the whole of Scotland, many of which require billions of pounds of investment, the SNP Government refuse to tell us how high a priority the dualling of the A9 is to the Scottish Government. I believe that there is little point producing a report that does not have details such as estimated start dates.
“I urge the SNP Government to make the A9 one of the top priorities in Scotland as it is unfortunately Scotland’s deadliest road and we need to see the beginning of the upgrade works as soon as possible. I have campaigned for years to see the A9 dualled and I will continue to campaign on this issue until we see the completion of the A9 upgrade.”
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