Balfour Beatty is to be awarded the construction contract for the next major section of the £3billion A9 Dualling Programme.

Transport Scotland announced its intention to grant the contract to Balfour Beatty for the 9.5km section of the A9 between Luncarty and Pass of Birnam.

It will be the second construction contract to be awarded as part of the Scottish Government's ambitious programme to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness.

In addition to the construction of 9.5km of new dual-carriageway, the construction of the Luncarty to Pass of Birnam section will involve four new overbridges to maintain local access across the A9, along with the widening of one existing underbridge and the provision of a new side road bridge.

Upon completion of the A9 Luncarty to Pass of Birnam, road users will benefit from 15km of continuous dualled carriageway from Inveralmond roundabout in Perth to Pass of Birnam.

Balfour Beatty was appointed from a shortlist of four bidders which included Dragados SA, Wills Bros Civil Engineering and a joint venture between Farrans Construction and Roadbridge.

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This marks the final phase in the procurement process which, subject to a mandatory standstill period, will conclude with the contract awarded in the coming weeks.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said: "This marks another significant milestone in the timeline of this major transport infrastructure project for Scotland to upgrade 80 miles of single carriageway between Perth and Inverness.

"This investment will vastly improve connectivity between the Highlands and Islands and Scotland's central belt, delivering far reaching benefits to the wider Scottish economy.

"The dualling of the A9 will create hundreds of new jobs throughout the construction phases which will leave a lasting legacy of a highly skilled workforce, bolstering Scotland's construction industry. The project will also act as a catalyst to attract significant inward investment and stimulate continued growth of our business communities, especially the tourism industry along this key route.

"The Scottish Government is committed to delivering this £3billion infrastructure improvement project to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness by 2025."

Hector MacAulay, Balfour Beatty Managing Director for Scotland, added: "We are delighted to be part of the major programme to upgrade the A9. We look forward to delivering this important infrastructure project which will bring travel and safety improvements to all road users whilst generating significant benefit to the local community and economy."

The first section of the A9 Dualling Programme was the £35million Kincraig to Dalraddy project which became fully operational in September 2017, and was constructed by Wills Bros Civil Engineering and John Paul Construction Joint Venture.

(CM/LM)