A prominent A9 dualling campaigner has promised to push the Scottish government every step of the way after it made a renewed commitment to finishing the project by 2035.
Laura Hansler’s petition demanding safety be improved on the Inverness to Perth route has now progressed to a formal inquiry.
Her voice was one of many reacting to the statement in parliament from transport secretary Mairi McAllan.
Ms McAllan announced to Holyrood that the project will be completed by 2035 – a decade later than it was promised back in 2011.
“It sounded really good,” Laura said. “But I’m really cautious about what’s below the surface.
“They’re saying they’ll deliver 44 miles by 2030. But they’ve only delivered two dualled sections in 16 years.
“It feels highly unlikely that it will happen.”
‘Businesses will be disappointed’
David Richardson is the development manager for the Federation of Small Businesses in the Highlands and Islands.
He represents businesses physically dotted along the northern parts of the route – but also reliant on the freight network that uses the road.
He said: “The A9 is a long busy road and keeping road users safe is clearly vital. But it is more than that, it is a lifeline route for Highland, Moray and Island businesses and communities to the sites and markets of the south.
“Given the importance of this project which has been live since 2011, north businesses will be extremely disappointed it has taken until 2023 for the Scottish Government to get their ducks in a row.
“We still have no idea when dualling will be completed.”
Cairngorm Chamber of Commerce chairman Stuart Broster added: “We are thankful for any news which supports Cairngorm businesses and save lives.
“However we need to wait and see. We were hoping for a shorter deadline which was disappointing.
“Hopefully more lives are not lost on the road.”
Trust has been broken
It’s fair to say that a lot of trust has been broken by the SNP government’s failure to dual the road between Inverness and Perth since coming to power in 2007.
The commitment was made by then First Minister Alex Salmond in 2008 and the timetable was unveiled three years later.
A year ago, former transport minister Jenny Gilruth announced that dualling the route by 2025 was “simply no longer achievable”.
That revelation was not wholly surprising to anyone closely following the snail’s pace that the work was travelling at.
But it kicked off a huge public outcry from Highlanders who believe the government has been too focused on the central belt.
‘We’ll believe it when we see it’
Some groups were more philosophical.
Inverness Chamber of Commerce’s Colin Marr said: “2035 is the best we could have hoped for, given where we are.
“We need regular updates going forward.
“None of the community believe it – we will only believe it when we see it happen.”
‘I’ll be on their tails’
Mairi McAllan told Holyrood that she understood the strength of feeling on the issue.
What happens from here will be closely watched.
Laura said: “I will be on their tails every step of this new timetable.
“My fight from here is to make sure they stand by their word and there is complete and utter transparency.”
Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her successor, Humza Yousaf, have both been called to give evidence at the A9 dualling inquiry.
Conversation