A contract worth almost £1m has been awarded to Raeburn Drilling & Geotechnical Ltd.

Transport Scotland awarded the contract, which will allow the firm to begin ground investigation work on the 7.5km Kincraig to Dalraddy section of the A9. The work is expected to begin later this month and last for around four months.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "The A9 Dualling programme is the most expensive transport project in Scotland’s history and presents some of the most challenging work ever witnessed.

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"The stretch of the route between Kincraig and Dalraddy will be the first section to be dualled in this ambitious programme, and we expect to see construction starting in 2015/16. These detailed ground investigations are an important element of the procurement process for this scheme which I expect to see completed in 2017.

"Having visited Dunkeld last week to see the start of ground investigations for the Birnam to Tay Crossing stretch, with the Luncarty to Pass of Birnam section scheduled for completion in 2019, and with route options now on public display for the nine other sections - we are making good headway to completing over half of the dualling programme by 2022."

(MH/IT)