According to Scottish Government data just released, the cost of maintaining the A96 that connects Aberdeen and Inverness reached almost £17m in 2024/25. Nineteen people have died in crashes on the A69 over the last five years.
Repairs totalled £14.9m in 2023/24, £11.8m in 2022/23 and £13.4m in 2021/22; up from £7.7 in 2020/21. The Scottish Government had announced plans to upgrade the A96 in 2016, promising to convert the 102 mile road into a dual carriageway by 2030, says the Herald Scotland.
However, the £3bn commitment was rowed back last year, as Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop blamed austerity from the UK Government and a lengthy review of the project for delays.
The Scottish Conservatives have hit out at new figures detailing the cost of maintaining the A96 trunk road, which has racked up £64.7m in repairs since 2020.
In a Transport Scotland statement, a spokesperson said the nation’s motorway and trunk road network was the Scottish Government’s ‘single biggest asset’ – and that £714m was set to be spent in 2025/26, despite a decrease in capital project funding from the UK Government.
The spokesperson added: “We have continued to invest in the maintenance of all trunk roads, including the A96, in order to ensure the continued safe and effective operation of the network that road users rely upon. These costs also include repairs and recovery from storm damage, which are on the increase.
“Our current favoured position is to fully dual the A96 and we are already starting the dualling process from Inverness to Nairn, including a Nairn Bypass, having acquired the land for the scheme earlier this year.
“We continue to progress the work to determine the most suitable procurement option for delivering this scheme and thereafter a timetable for progress can then be set in line with available budgets.”
The spokesperson noted that the Scottish Government had agreed to carry out a review of the A96 corridor as part of the Bute House Agreement, as their erstwhile partners in government, the Scottish Greens, were opposed to the road’s dualling.
North East Conservative MSP Douglas Lumsden has slammed the government over the “eye-watering” figures, which he said demonstrated that the A96 ‘is not fit for the 21st century”.
“After decades of neglect by the SNP, it’s no surprise that repair costs are soaring each year as the road falls into a state of disrepair. This is the tragic reality of the dangers the road poses, yet the transport minister continues to kick the prospect of fully dualling the road into the long grass, despite the SNP’s promise 14 years ago.
“The Scottish Government’s failure to properly improve the A96 betrays local communities, undermines the North East’s future connectivity and endangers lives. Rather than spending endless sums patching up the A96, the SNP must prioritise dualling the road as a matter of urgency.”
(Pic: Mapillary)
