The Scottish Government has announced main construction work will begin next spring to dual the A9 between Tomatin and Moy.
The contractor for the project, Balfour Beatty, will start preparatory works later this month including construction of temporary accesses to work areas, erection of boundary fencing, tree removal, installation of welfare units, surveying, and utility works.
Balfour Beatty also plans to hold “Meet the Contractor” events for local residents, communities and businesses, with dates and venues for these events to be advertised in the coming weeks.
The programme plans that the dualling of the Tomatin to Moy section will become operational in Spring 2028, but planners say this date is potentially subject to change in the event of any extension of time being granted due to circumstances beyond the contractor’s control, such as adverse weather.
Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop MSP, commented: “I am pleased that, as promised, the Scottish Government is delivering rapid progress on our programme to dual the A9. News that the main construction works on the Tomatin to Moy section will start in Spring is welcome and I am pleased that Balfour Beatty is pressing ahead with these preparatory works.
“This is an important step in our contractor’s programme which should allow them to hit the ground running when main construction work starts next Spring.
“I appreciate that this means there will be some disruption locally and it is important for Balfour Beatty to engage as much as it can with the local community. I would encourage everyone living locally who might be affected to attend one of their forthcoming events.”
Preparatory works are planned to commence on 21 October 2024 and, initially, access to work locations will be taken from the local road network. This is expected to involve traffic management measures such as localised verge coning and short priority stop and go systems. It is also expected that overnight traffic management measures will be implemented on the A9 commencing from early November for a period of approximately 6 weeks. This will involve temporary two-way traffic signals with a temporary speed restriction of 30mph throughout the works, and further information on these measures will be published on the A9 Dualling website.
Transport Scotland’s Project Manager, Stuart Baird, said: “We are working closely with our contractor to minimise any disruption to traffic and will use our A9 Dualling website to keep the public and road users informed.”
David Taylor, Project Director at Balfour Beatty said: “These works will allow us to complete vital preparations for the site to provide safe access to and from the working areas.
“Alongside these site works, we are currently planning our “Meet the Contractor” events and look forward to sharing our plans for the main works with the community. Dates and venues for these events will be advertised in the coming weeks.”
“We would like to take the opportunity to thank road users and the local communities for their patience whilst we undertake these important works.”
(Picture – Transport Scotland)
