Plans to dual the A9 carriageway between Perth and Inverness are ahead of schedule, it has been announced.

This has resulted in a revised timescale for the ambitious £3m project with earlier start dates now envisioned. In a statement, Transport Scotland confirmed new sections of the road would now be ready for dualling by 2017.

The revised proposals will see work on the road divided into 12 sections, rather than an initially nine. The newer, smaller sections will mean that work can be undertaken and completed more quickly and of less disruption to motorists. Three of these new sections to be completed ahead of schedule are the 10.5km Pitagowan to Glen Garry, the 8.3km Dalwhinnie to Crubenmore, and the 9.3km Tomatin to Moy stretches.

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On Wednesday, a new landscape policy was unveiled for the programme which will help protect the environment around the road as a result of the construction work taking place. While plans for the proposed dualling of the A9 section between Luncarty to Pass of Birnam were also published, and the public will be able to share their views on them at a series of public exhibitions next month.

Commenting on the project, Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "This is the first time any government has committed to dualling the A9 between Perth and Inverness, the biggest transport project, by cost, in Scotland's history, and the challenging programme of work remains on schedule for completion by 2025.

"We have pledged to bring forward elements of the scheme wherever we can and we are delivering on that. As a result of the detailed environmental and engineering survey work that has been going on along A9 between Perth and Inverness, we are providing further details which will see the programme divided into twelve distinct schemes from the original nine, allowing three new sections of the route – totalling 28.1 km of upgraded road – to be accelerated through the complex design and legal process."

(JP/IT)