Transport Scotland has welcomed a major milestone in delivering around 31 km of new dual carriageway between Inverness and Hardmuir.

Announcing the publication of Made Orders for the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn, Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said: 'We remain absolutely committed to improving the A96, including dualling the section between Inverness and Nairn and a Nairn Bypass, and today |s publication of the Made Orders for the scheme is a strong sign of our commitment to deliver it.

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"Subject to there being no challenge to the Made Orders this would complete the statutory process for the scheme and allow us to acquire the land required to build it. It will also allow us to take forward work to determine the most suitable procurement option for delivering the scheme and thereafter a timetable for progress can then be set.

"When completed, the dualling scheme will bring many benefits to local communities, businesses, visitors and road users living in the north and north east of Scotland, including reduced journey times, improved journey time reliability, further opportunities for active travel and, crucially, improved road safety.

"'At the same time we are also progressing the design work on the adjacent A9/A96 Inshes to Smithton scheme and expect to publish the Made Orders in the next few months.

"All of this work underlines our commitment to making improvements along the A96 corridor."