Review into dualling A96 delayed for third time
The review was due to be published in the autumn.
Last updated 29th Jan 2024
A review into dualling the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness has been delayed for the third time.
Doubts have been raised on whether the road will ever see the work completed after Transport Scotland revealed the report, which was due in autumn, has faced another set back.
Plans to fully dual the A96 were announced in December 2011, when the Scottish Government published its Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) with the commitment to upgrade the corridor between Aberdeen and Inverness by 2030.
Despite the delay, the Scottish Government say they're "fully committed" to making improvements on the road.
Elgin Councillor Jeremie Fernandez put his foot down at the SNP conference back in October when he turned up with the 1990 Grampian region manifesto which called to fully dual the road, as well as the A9.
At the conference, members voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion to dual the corridor.
Cllr Fernandez said: "There's no two ways about it, it's disappointing that the review has been delayed again. That being said, the Scottish Government is now looking at having that review completed by the start of the year so, I'm hopeful that it will be completed sooner rather than later.
"People will be disappointed because it's the third time now that it's been delayed. There's no doubt that it will create frustration.
"The position of the SNP is still that the full dualling should take place between Aberdeen and Inverness. That's the commitment we made to the people of the north and north east so we must make sure we fulfil that commitment.
"I'm going to keep pushing for this and all the local SNP representatives are going to push the Scottish Government until we have a clear plan and we finally see spades in the ground.
Cllr Fernandez says the Scottish Government recently invested half a million pounds in Elgin to make improvements on the A96, but he says it's "no substitute" for the full dualling of the road.
North East Conservative MSP Liam Kerr says the delay has cast doubt on the road ever being dualled.
He said: “This latest revelation raises doubts on if the A96 will ever be dualled under this shambolic SNP-Green coalition.
“Rather than playing political games with the safety of motorists, this should be about fully upgrading the A96 as soon as possible and delivering on a promise which the SNP made more than a decade ago.”
A spokesperson for Scottish Government agency Transport Scotland said: “As the First Minister confirmed during the statement to Parliament on the Programme for Government on 5 September, the Scottish Government is fully committed to making improvements to the A96.
"The current plan is to fully dual the route and as part of this process we are undertaking a transparent, evidence-based review of the programme. The significant interest in the review’s initial consultation, with nearly 4,600 responses, generated 11,000 options to improve the corridor and it is only right that it has taken more time than originally anticipated to examine and fully appraise these.
"Following publication of the initial appraisal report and the accompanying consultation report at the end of last year, we continue to push forward the necessary further detailed work to inform the remaining stages of the review.
“These include a robust appraisal of the retained options alongside a Climate Compatibility Assessment and also a range of statutory assessments, with outcomes from this expected to be ready in the coming months for final public consultation, before a final decision can be reached.”