The Scottish Government has said it is ‘committed’ to building the first section of the proposed A96 Inverness to Aberdeen Dualling programme, despite the absence of either the funding required or any tangible progress.
In February 2021, Transport Scotland said that, following a Public Local Inquiry in 2018, ministers had given the go-ahead for completing of the statutory procedures for the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) scheme.
Infrastructure secretary Michael Matheson said: 'This significant decision now clears the way for us to publish Made Orders for this scheme and we are pushing forward with the necessary preparatory work to achieve publication by this summer.
'Subject to there being no challenge to Made Orders, this would complete the statutory process for the scheme and allow us to acquire land required to build the scheme.’
The Made Orders were however not published until this March, which cabinet secretary for transport Fiona Hyslop described as ‘a strong sign of our commitment’ to deliver the scheme.
This month Ms Hyslop said that no challenge to the Made Orders was received, ‘which now completes the statutory process and clears the way for us to acquire the land required to construct it’.
She added: ‘We’re also progressing the work to determine the most suitable procurement option for delivering the scheme to enable us to construct it as soon as we can in line with available budgets.
‘This work has already commenced and we will shortly be procuring financial advisors to assist with this vital work. Once completed, we will then be in a position to set a timetable for delivering the scheme.’
Ms Hyslop said that work to progress the adjacent A9/A96 Inshes to Smithton scheme, ‘along with the ongoing A96 Corridor Review, underlines our commitment to making improvements along the A96’.
The A96 Corridor Review, which covers the other three proposed sections of the A96 Inverness to Aberdeen dualling programme, was announced in August 2021 as part of the now defunct Cooperation Agreement between the SNP-led Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party.
It was due to report in the Autumn of 2022 but remains unpublished, with nearly £5m spent so far, according to the Press and Journal.
Ms Hyslop told the paper in February that she expected the review and recommendations to report back to her ‘imminently’.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said the Scottish Government remains ‘steadfast in its commitment to improving the A96’ and that the current plan is still to fully dual the route.
The spokesperson added: ‘The significant interest in the review’s initial consultation, with nearly 4,600 responses, generated 11,000 options to improve the corridor and it’s only right that appropriate time has been taken to examine and fully appraise these.
‘It is expected that the draft outcomes from the Review, which includes the Climate Compatibility Assessment and Transport Appraisal reports, will be consulted on in the coming months, before a final decision can be reached.’
