 Dualling work in 2021 between Luncarty and Pass of Birnam, the second section of the scheme. | |
| Location | Scotland (Perth to Inverness) |
|---|---|
| Proposer | Transport Scotland |
| Project website | Transport Scotland's programme |
| Status | Partially complete[a] |
| Type | Upgrade to dual carriageway |
| Cost estimate | £3.7 billion[1][b] |
| Start date | 2015 |
| Completion date | 2035 (initially 2025) |
In 2011, Transport Scotland envisioned a plan to upgrade the remaining 90 miles (145 km) of the A9, a trunk road in Scotland, between Perth and Inverness from a single carriageway to a dual carriageway. According to this plan, the road will be widened from one to two lanes per direction (two to four lanes total), and will also have a central reservation. It also means there will be an increase in speed for cars and motorcycles from 60 mph to 70 mph (96 km/h to 112 km/h).
A dual carriageway allows drivers to overtake safely as they do not have to meet oncoming traffic and the crash barriers on the central reservation will greatly reduce the number of head-on collisions. As most of the A9 is currently a single carriageway, drivers will possibly have to overtake heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and other slow-moving vehicles as they are limited to 50 mph (80 km/h), 10 mph (16 km/h) lower than the speed limit for cars and motorcycles. The project started in September 2015 with a planned completion date of 2025, but has since been deferred to 2035 for various reasons. Only two sections of the project were complete: the Kincraig to Dalraddy (near Aviemore) in September 2017, and the Luncarty to Pass of Birnam (near Perth) in August 2021, totalling 11 miles (17 km).
The A9 has been dubbed as Scotland's most dangerous road. In 2022, the number of fatalities has rose to its highest level in 20 years.
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- ^ "A9 Dualling Perth to Inverness". Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ "Major Milestone As A9 Dualling Construction Set To Get Underway | Transport Scotland". www.transportscotland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.