Transport Scotland has published a contract notice to move forward with the detailed design work of the first section of the A96 dualling programme.

The contract, worth at least £30m, will see a multi-disciplinary consultant develop, assess and promote the preferred option for the A96 Inverness to Nairn section of the road.

Further details of the preferred option will be announced later this year, in October.

It is anticipated that a design consultant will be appointed early next year to develop the preferred option, with the hope of publishing draft orders for the project in 2016, Transport Minister Keith Brown has said.

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He added: "The Scottish Government has given a clear commitment to dual the A96 by 2030, delivering around 86 miles of upgraded road between Inverness and Aberdeen. This contract when awarded will be worth at worth at least £30 million, and reinforces our determination to invest in this road and all of our city-to-city roads to bring them up to full dual carriageway standard.

"Dualling the A96 is a significant undertaking which requires careful, in-depth planning and design to ensure that we deliver the right scheme to help tackle congestion and provide better journey time reliability and road safety for all users.

"In addition to the preliminary work we are undertaking on the whole of the A96 corridor, we are currently progressing the route option assessment work for the 30 km Inverness to Nairn including Nairn Bypass scheme, and expect to announce a preferred option for this scheme later this year when our plans will go on public display."

(JP/CD)