Transport Scotland awards A9 contract

Transport Scotland has awarded the construction contract for the next phase of the A9 Dualling Programme to Balfour Beatty.

The £3Bn A9 Dualling Programme is an ambitious project from the Scottish Government to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness.

This second contract forms part of the £96M project to dual 9.5km of the A9 between Luncarty and Pass of Birnam. Balfour Beatty was appointed from a shortlist of four bidders which included Dragados SA, Wills Bros Civil Engineering and a joint venture between Farrans Construction and Roadbridge.

The award of this contract marks the final phase in the procurement process.

In addition to the construction of 9.5km of new dual-carriageway, the construction of the Luncarty to Pass of Birnam section will involve four new overbridges to maintain local access across the A9, along with the widening of one existing underbridge and the provision of a new side road bridge.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said: “This marks another significant milestone in the timeline of this major transport infrastructure project for Scotland to upgrade 80 miles of single carriageway between Perth and Inverness.

“This investment will vastly improve connectivity between the Highlands and Islands and Scotland’s central belt, delivering far reaching benefits to the wider Scottish economy.

“The dualling of the A9 will create hundreds of new jobs throughout the construction phases which will leave a lasting legacy of a highly skilled workforce, bolstering Scotland’s construction industry. The project will also act as a catalyst to attract significant inward investment and stimulate continued growth of our business communities, especially the tourism industry along this key route.

“The Scottish Government is committed to delivering this £3Bn infrastructure improvement project to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness by 2025.”

Hector MacAulay, Balfour Beatty Managing Director for Scotland, said: “We are delighted to be part of the major programme to upgrade the A9. We look forward to delivering this important infrastructure project which will bring travel and safety improvements to all road users whilst generating significant benefit to the local community and economy.”

As a result, the safety of the A9 will be improved by removing junctions with conflicting traffic flows and providing safer overtaking opportunities along the route. Together, these improvements will reduce driver stress whilst improving journey times and overall operational effectiveness.

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