Dualling the A9 “remains a priority for myself and this Government”, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has said.

Mr Swinney was speaking ahead of a visit to see work to dual a section of road between Tomatin and Moy, which is one of 11 sections of road being upgraded. During the visit Mr Swinney is due to meet staff from construction firm Balfour Beatty and Transport Scotland who are leading the work on the Tomatin-Moy stretch.

Mr Swinney told STV:

“The government is absolutely committed to dualling the A9, and we’ve seen important progress being made on the Moy to Tomartin stage, the construction of the Moy rail bridge, which is a significant piece of engineering, is an illustration just of the scale of the task that’s underway. But the government’s put the resources in place. We have the plans been taken forward to make sure that we can secure the dualling of the A9 by 2035, there are different stages been taken forward, and the plan is proceeding at pace to make sure we can dual the road in a timely fashion.”

“As momentum builds and construction ramps up at both the north and south ends of the corridor, I’m looking forward to seeing the visible, tangible progress being made on the longest road in Scotland.

“The continued progress should give the businesses and residents of the Highlands confidence that realising the benefits of dualling the A9 remains a priority for myself and this Government.”

The project to dual the whole of the A9 between Perth and Inverness will see 83 miles of road converted from single to dual carriageway, at a cost of £3.97 billion, based on April 2025 prices.

The project was announced in 2011 and was originally slated to be finished by 2025, but is now expected to take until 2035.

(Picture: Transport Scotland)