The Scottish Government is once again under pressure over the A9 just two years on from the announcement of the new dualling deadline of 2035 – with funding at the heart of the issue. Transport Scotland has confirmed the government will make an announcement about funding for the delayed Inverness-Perth dualling programme during the Budget on 13 January, says the Strathspey Herald.
The agency added: “The government will make a parliamentary statement shortly thereafter, to provide further detail on the outcomes of this decision-making process.”
That would seem to support reports from around a month ago claiming the government was on the verge of rejecting the private finance option – known as the mutual investment model (MIM) – for some of the scheme, which the SNP originally promised would be complete by the end of 2025.
That financial model would have been responsible for paying for around 51 of the 70 remaining miles of dualling that are still to be done – but it is now thought not to be considered value for money.
The £3.7 billion scheme is important as it is widely believed dualling will make the road safer following numerous tragedies over the years.
Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing – who has been at the forefront of efforts to get the road dualled, as well as pushing for a Nairn bypass – has called on the First Minister to ensure this happens.
“The last statement they made was back in December 2023,” he said. “Of the 83 miles of road to be done, only two sections have been dualled, with Tomatin to Moy under construction – £520 million has been spent in all so far.
“The delays since 2023 were because the Scottish Government were considering how to fund the remainder of the project.
“They said a hybrid approach would be used with the public capital budget plus private finance. However, rumours suggest they are now dropping the private finance proposals. Another couple of years have been wasted.
“There is more than enough in the Scottish Government coffers to finance the project and indeed the Nairn bypass, which is also long overdue.
“The main reason for the delays in the project have been the inordinate length of time taken to consider how the construction work would be funded.
“This caused several years’ delay in the last decade and now the history of delays are repeating themselves.
“I call on the First Minister to end these delays and confirm the Scottish annual capital budget is deployed for the A9 and indeed the Nairn bypass.”
(Picture: Transport Scotland)
