THE contract for the dualling of a fourth section of the A9 is due to be awarded imminently.
Transport Scotland announced on Friday that Wills Bros Civil Engineering was the preferred bidder in the £152.7 million deal to dual the road between Tay Crossing and Ballanluig.
The tender for the stretch between Tomatin and Moy in the Highlands previously returned just a single bid, which was deemed not to be value for money for the taxpayer.
As a result, ministers were forced to push back the original 2035 deadline for dualling the road between Perth and Inverness by a decade.
Balfour Beatty were awarded the contract for £184.7 million in 2024 and construction began earlier this year.
According to Transport Scotland, the section will be complete in 2028, with 45% of the A9 between Perth and Inverness to be dualled by that time.
[[Transport]] Secretary Fiona Hyslop (below) said the announcement showed the “continued momentum” of the project.
“In addition to the improvements delivered through dualling, this investment will provide lasting social value to the communities and businesses local to these areas,” she said.
“We have seen already how contractors across the programme are making a positive impact through our social value programme, and I look forward to seeing further benefits delivered in the construction of this section.
“This is the second contract to be awarded since our delivery plan for A9 dualling was announced in 2023, and clearly demonstrates that we are delivering on our promises.
“The receipt of three valid tenders during this procurement process means that we can also be confident that our investment in this A9 dualling contract demonstrates value for money, and that the changes we have made to our contracts in recent years are making a real difference.
“We are achieving the targets we have laid out, and making steady progress across the corridor to ensure that the full route between Perth and Inverness is dualled by 2035.”
