Works On A9 Blackspot Face Major Delays
A crucial far north roads project could be delayed by a public local inquiry.
It's feared upgrades to a notorious accident blackspot on the A9 could be delayed for months.
There's been several objections to proposed works on the A9 Berriedale Braes.
It's now likely a Public Local Inquiry will be neccessary, which could take between 12 and 18 months.
Several local people and businesses have expressed concern about slow progress.
Last month the Caithness Chamber of Commerce accused the Scottish Government of "dragging its heels" on the project and had called for the project timescale to be accelerated.
Highland MSP and Scottish Labour Transport Spokesman, David Stewart has said that further delays to the Berriedale Braes improvement project will be "extremely frustrating and a huge cause of concern to Caithness."
Commenting Mr Stewart said: "This will be extremely frustrating news for everyone living and working in the North of Scotland and the Orkney Isles. The Scottish Government have taken far too long to progress this project in the first place and now it looks like it could be delayed again for around another year and a half before any work even begins on the road.
"Anyone living or doing business in Caithness or the Orkney Islands will rightly be furious that they can expect even slower progress on the improvement project than has already been experienced. Due to the potential need for a Public Local Inquiry, work might not start on the improvements until 2017 at the earliest.
"The Berriedale Braes improvement work is estimated to take around 12 months to complete, and with no start date on the horizon for quite some time, we can expect further negative impacts to the economy of the far north.
"The Scottish Government have repeatedly told us they are making 'good progress' on the improvements, although this is obviously not the case. Complaints about the on-going delay are building up from the business community and the clear message is that the Scottish Government should stop giving people in the far north the run around and be more open and honest about this project."