Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth has been warned failing to fully dual the A96 would be an abdication of responsibility, after warnings 13 people have died and 180 were injured in three years.
In Holyrood, the SNP transport chief said the government remains “committed” to fully dualling the road, but an environmental impact review is still being worked on.
Ms Gilruth told MSPs a report which gathered the thoughts of 5,000 people on the future of the A96 will be published by the end of the year.
The report includes 11,000 suggestions from members of the public on what they think needs to happen.
‘Veil of secrecy’ claim
This comes after the SNP-Green government was accused of a “veil of secrecy” after road bosses refused to confirm if a decision will be reached on fully dualling the A96 by the end of 2022.
North East regional MSP Liam Kerr said the government has a duty to deliver on “more than a decade of promises” by dualling the road.
“We surely owe that to the 13 people who have been killed and the 180 injured in the last three years,” he said.
“If this government doesn’t follow through on more than a decade of promises, people across the North East will regard it as an outright abdication of responsibility.”
Government committed to dualling
Ms Gilruth said the government is committed to carrying out this promise.
She told Mr Kerr: “I don’t want to prejudge the outcome of the appraisal, which we will publish in the coming weeks.
“The current plan is to fully dual the route.
“But we are committed to an evidence-based review.”
She added she understands the “strength of public feeling” on the issue to those who live and work in the North East region.
Gilruth challenged on A9 dualling
The transport minister was also challenged on when the A9 between Inverness and Perth will be dualled.
She said the government has already invested £431 million on the A9 and further work is being undertaken “urgently” despite some of the work being “complex”.
This is despite only two sections of the road – Luncarty to Pass of Birnam just north of Perth and Kincraig to Dalraddy near Aviemore – being completed.
Fellow SNP MSP Fergus Ewing pointed out four further sections of the A9 are now ready to move to the procurement stage and asked if these could all be done “concurrently rather than consecutively”.
Ms Gilruth said doing all this at once would cause too much “disruption”, but added she will seek advice on this from Transport Scotland.