Dualling the A9 - Transport Scotland

Dualling the A9Dualling the A9 between Perth & InvernessThe A9 is the major link roadbetween the Central Belt andthe far north of Scotland. At273 miles from Dunblane toThurso, it is the longest trunkroad in Scotland and the fifthlongest in the whole of theUnited Kingdom.The intention to fully dualthe section of the A9 betweenPerth and Inverness was firstannounced as part of the ScottishGovernment’s blueprint fortransport investment priorities overtwo decades, the Strategic TransportProjects Review (STPR) in 2008.A timescale for this work wasconfirmed in December 2011,when the Scottish Ministerspublished their Infrastructure andObjectives for dualling the A9Dualling the A9 between Perthand Inverness will improve theoperational performance andlevel of service by:• Reducing journey times• Improving journey time reliability.The sectionsto be dualledtotal around 129kilometres (80miles).It will also improve safety formotorised and non-motorised usersby:• Reducing accident severity• Reducing driver stress.Key factsProject key facts include:• This will be one of the biggestinfrastructure projects inScotland’s history• The A9 is the longest trunkroad in Scotland, with the Perthto Inverness section forming177 kilometres (110 miles) ofthe total• The combined total of theInvestment Plan and announcedthe A9 between Perth andInverness would be dualled by2025.The project also seeks to facilitateactive travel in the corridor andenhance integration with publictransport facilities.existing dual carriagewaysections between Perth andInverness is approximately 48kilometres (30 miles)• The sections to be dualledtotal around 129 kilometres(80 miles). This is 16 times thelength of the M74 Completionand eight times the length of theM80 Stepps to Haggs project.A9: Work in progressPreliminary design work on two sectionsof the A9 was undertaken following thecommitment to dual the A9 made in theSTPR in 2008.This work has allowed Transport Scotland tofind out more about the challenges involved indualling the A9.The two sections are:Luncarty to Pass of Birnam – TheMinister for Transport and Veterans announcedthat construction on this scheme would be readyto start in 2017. Transport Scotland has recentlyappointed Jacobs Engineering Ltd to progress theproject.Birnam to the Tay Crossing – URS hasbeen appointed to undertake design work. Thisis a particularly challenging section and detailedoption assessment work is currently under way.In June 2012, the Cabinet Secretary forInfrastructure and Capital Investment announcedthat Transport Scotland would be acceleratingthe programme to dual the A9 by bringingforward the scheme between Kincraigand Dalraddy to 2015/16. Atkins has beenappointed to take forward the design work.More detailed consultation on all of theseschemes will take place in 2013.Following the Cabinet Secretary’s commitmentto complete the dualling of the A9 by 2025, wenow need to undertake route-wide constraintsmapping and survey work to allow us to startdesign work on the remainder of the route.The key objectiveof this programmeis to be ready tostart constructionin 2015/16 at theKincraig-Dalraddysection andcomplete the fullproject by 2025.Where the workwill take placeThere are a number of sections ofsingle carriageway to be dualledbetween Perth and Inverness.These are:• Luncarty to Pass of Birnam• Pass of Birnam to Ballinluig• Pitlochry to Killiecrankie• Killiecrankie to Glen Garry• Glen Garry to Crubenmore• Crubenmore to Slochd (includesKincraig-Dalraddy scheme)• Tomatin to Moy.Those sections of dual carriagewayalready in place will also be upgraded tomodern standards.The key objective of this programmeis to be ready to start construction in2015/16 at the Kincraig-Dalraddy sectionand complete the full project by 2025.© All photos are copyright of Scottish Natural HeritageMeeting the environmental challengesThe A9 passes through areaswhich are of outstanding wildlifeand scenic significance, some ofwhich are nationally and eveninternationally renowned.It is therefore extremely importantthis natural heritage is conserved, notonly for its inherent beauty, but also forits contribution to the tourist industry.In particular, the A9 passes throughthe Cairngorms National Park, whichis Britain’s largest National Park. Theroute of the A9 also takes it throughor close to a significant number ofenvironmentally designated sitesincluding:All maps are based upon OrdnanceSurvey material with the permissionof Ordnance Survey on behalf of thecontroller of Her Majesty’s StationeryOffice. © Crown Copyright 2012. Anyunauthorised reproduction infringes Crowncopyright and may lead to prosecution orcivil proceedings. Scottish Executive licencenumber: SE 100046668 2012.• Sites of Special Scientific Interest(SSSI): those areas that ScottishNatural Heritage considersto best represent our naturalheritage, taking account ofdiversity of plants, animals andhabitats, rocks and landforms,or a combination of naturalfeatures• Special Areas of Conservation(SAC) and Special ProtectionAreas (SPA): these are sitesdesignated under the Habitatsor Birds Directives and areinternationally important forthreatened habitats and species• Ramsar sites: internationallyimportant wetland sites• National Scenic Areas: thereare 40 National Scenic Areasin Scotland which representScotland’s finest landscapesthanks to their outstandingscenery.Transport Scotland regularlyengages with key statutory authoritiesincluding Scottish Natural Heritage,the Scottish Environment ProtectionAgency and Historic Scotlandto identify where the greatestenvironmental challenges will be.Assessing theengineering challengeThe Engineering Assessmentprocess will consider optionsto improve the route whichmeet the objectives of thescheme.Existing information is beingcollated and, where this isdeemed inadequate, surveys willbe undertaken to ensure theresults of this assessment arecomprehensively reported.Route optionsFactors to be considered whenlooking at ways to improve theexisting route and develop a fulldual carriageway include:• Applying the appropriatedesign standards for theschemes to ensure safeand efficient proposals aredeveloped• The overall condition andfeasibility of improving theexisting road, includingstructures and pavementWho uses the A9?The A9 is currently usedby a variety of differentroad users throughout theyear, with a large seasonalvariation in the numberof vehicles using certainstretches of the road.In some key areas, vehiclenumbers more than doubleduring summer with around 1in 5 cars carrying passengerson tourist trips. Traffic on thesouthern sections of the A9 canreach around 16,000 vehicles perday during these peak periods.A survey of the A9 betweenPerth and Inverness in 2012 hascondition, drainage andgeometry• Topography of the area• Problems associated withdrainage and groundconditions• Environmental constraints,such as Areas of OutstandingNatural Beauty• Junction and access provision• Lay-bys and rest arearequirements.Once a preferred option hasbeen determined for each section,more detailed issues such assignage, lighting and constructionwill be assessed and consultedupon.Preliminary constraints mappinghas begun and early plans areavailable for consideration andinput. Transport Scotland is alsoinviting landowners who may beaffected by the scheme to speak tothe organisation’s advisors.indicated that almost half of alldrivers using the A9 are makingjourneys over 100 miles long andthat 9 out of 10 people travellingbetween Perth and Invernessopt to make the journey by carrather than by bus or train, witha typical journey time of 90-110minutes.Commercial traffic (LGVs,HGVs) constitute around 1in 5 of all vehicles on the A9between Perth and Inverness.Close to the cities of Perthand Inverness, over half thedrivers use the road at leastonce a week.2 3 4

Dualling the A9Safety firstWhile the A9 has areputation for being adangerous road, the sectionbetween Perth and Invernessactually has a better-thanaveragetrunk road safetyperformance.The accident rate for the singlecarriageway section betweenPerth and Inverness is 8.24accidents per 100 million vehiclemovements, which is less than halfthat of the Scottish trunk roadaverage.While accident levels are belowaverage, the number of fatal orserious injury accidents is higherthan the national average. Onedeath in a road accident is one toomany and reducing the severity ofaccidents is a key objective for theA9 dualling scheme.It is not always possible todetermine the cause of everyaccident, but there is a generalunderstanding that the lackof guaranteed overtakingopportunities on the A9 leads todriver frustration.Relieving this frustration andstress is one of the key objectivesof the A9 dualling project.All maps are based upon OrdnanceSurvey material with the permissionof Ordnance Survey on behalf of thecontroller of Her Majesty’s StationeryOffice. © Crown Copyright 2012. Anyunauthorised reproduction infringes Crowncopyright and may lead to prosecution orcivil proceedings. Scottish Executive licencenumber: SE 100046668 2012.Accessibility –existing activetravel routes/core path planTransport Scotlandhas met with localauthorities and RegionalTransport Partnershipsand organisations such asSustrans, CTC Scotland,HITRANS, The British HorseSociety, Ramblers Scotlandand ScotWays to maximisethe opportunities thedualling of the A9 presentsfor cyclists, ramblers,equestrians and other nonmotorisedroad users.Data on the existing active traveland recreational routes is beingcollated at present and suggestionson the location of any localtransport links are welcome.Suggestions onthe locationof any localtransport linksare welcome.What is being done to improve safety on the A9 today?Transport Scotland’sStrategic Road SafetyPlan contains an actionto produce Route SafetyFiles for each distinctpart of the motorway andtrunk road network toinform future road safetyprioritisation.Route Safety Group meetingsare also regularly held withkey stakeholders including thePolice, local authorities andSafety Camera Partnerships.These help identify the stepstowards reducing the numberof accidents and casualties onthe specific route.Scottish Ministers have askedthe A9 Route Safety Group,which is looking at improvingroad safety on the A9 betweenKeir Roundabout and Thurso,to investigate and recommenda series of urgent additionalactions to further improvesafety on the A9.A range of options iscurrently being assessed,including improved consistencyof signing and lining, improvedgeometry, variable messagingsigns and average speedcameras.The A9 Route Safety Grouphas also recently launched anew journey time informationsystem to help address driverfrustration associated withunreliable journey times.5

All maps are based upon OrdnanceSurvey material with the permissionof Ordnance Survey on behalf of thecontroller of Her Majesty’s StationeryOffice. © Crown Copyright 2012. Anyunauthorised reproduction infringes Crowncopyright and may lead to prosecution orcivil proceedings. Scottish Executive licencenumber: SE 100046668 2012.PerthLuncarty,Redgorton,and MoneydieCommunity CouncilsTullochLagganNorth MuirtonDalwhinnieStrathnairnNewtonmoreStrathdearnWhat happens next?KingussieThe information collected through surveywork and this consultation exercise will beused to inform the engineering and strategicenvironmental assessment work. Theoutcome of that work will be consulted on in2013, allowing for the identification of routeoptions to begin.There will be further opportunities for publicconsultation throughout the design and developmentprocess and Transport Scotland will consider pointsraised during consultation and act upon them whereCarrbridgeKincraigBlair Atholl and StruanBoat of GartenAviemoreKilliecrankie and FincastlePitlochry and MoulinMid Atholl, Strathtay and GrandtullyDunkeld and BirnamInvernessCentralCulcabock and DrakiesAuchtergavenInverness SouthRaigmoreSpittalfield and DistrictStanleySmithton and CullodenWesthillreasonable and appropriate.In addition to formal consultation, TransportScotland hopes to establish a regular forum withcommunity councils along the A9. This will allowcommunities to be updated on the process andprogress in their areas.Any comments on the A9 Dualling programmecan be sent to: A9 Dualling team, MTRIPS2,Transport Scotland, Buchanan House, 58 PortDundas Road, Glasgow G4 0HF. E-mail: a9dualling@transportscotland.gsi.gov.ukEngaging thecommunityTransport Scotland hasalready been engagingwith the communitiesaffected by the current A9projects at Luncarty toPass of Birnam, Birnam toTay Crossing and Kincraigto Dalraddy, and thiswork will be rolled out toother communities alongthe length of the route asdesign work proceeds.A rolling programme ofregular engagement fromPerth to Inverness willbe undertaken to ensurebusinesses and individualsaffected by the work over thenext decade and beyond arekept fully informed.More importantly, this willensure important feedbackis taken into account as theproject is designed, procuredand constructed.As well as bringing benefits,road construction comeswith impacts for those livingalong the route, which is whycommunities lie at the heart ofTransport Scotland’s planning.The local perspectiveon the main risks andopportunities to theA9 dualling is not onlywelcome, but vital.FurtherinformationFor moreinformation onthe proposals forthe A9 dualling,please visit theproject page onthe TransportScotlandwebsite at: www.transportscotland.gov.uk/a9dualling6