Scottish Council for Development and Industry in A96 upgrade plea to Michael Mathieson

INDUSTRY leaders have urged the Scottish Government to maintain its commitment to upgrading the A96.

The plea has come from the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) in an open letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson.

Jointly signed by the chairs of SCDI’s Highlands and Islands, and North East Committees, along with the chairman of their Rural Commission, SCDI highlights the importance of completing the road upgrade.

"This upgrade not only delivers a new trunk road fit for purpose but will unblock the communities it currently cuts through, freeing up new opportunities to enhance these town centres, improve safety, increase air quality, and put pedestrians at the top of transport hierarchy.”

Jane Cumming, chairwoman of the Highlands committee and North East counterpart Trevor Garlick, along with commission chairman Chris Gaffney, who is finance director of Johnston's of Elgin, added: "As we look to tackle climate change, we need to ensure that the right decisions are taken to connect our cities and towns, and support those living and working in rural areas.

"Addressing inadequate road infrastructure in the north of Scotland should not be a casualty at the hands of those who have long since benefited from transport investment.”

SCDI’s Highlands and Islands director, Fraser Grieve, said: “We need to look closely at how we respond to the pressing issue of our transition to a low carbon future, but it’s vital that as we make that journey we don’t leave areas of the country behind.

"The upgrading of the A96 is an important piece in seeing connectivity between Scotland’s seven cities fit for the future and will see major benefits for the communities, businesses, and exporters, along this corridor who will benefit from reduced journey times and increased journey reliability on this key route.”

The North East director, Ian Armstrong, added: “We welcome, and have been supportive of, the Scottish Government’s long standing commitment to upgrade the A96 and recognise the benefits this will bring to the economy across the North, and Scotland more widely. We hope that they remain committed to the delivery of this important project.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government has given a commitment to dualling the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen, underlining its commitment to connecting Scotland’s cities with a high quality transport system that will generate economic growth.

“This is a significant undertaking which requires careful, in-depth planning and design to ensure that we deliver the right scheme which when complete will bring many benefits to local communities, businesses and road users living, travelling and working along the route. These include reduced journey times, improved journey time reliability and, crucially, improve road safety for all users.”

Essential design and assessment work is well underway on the dualling programme with a Public Local Inquiry on the Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) scheme held in October/November 2018 to consider objections received following publication of draft orders.

Following route option assessment work the preferred option on the western section between Hardmuir and Fochabers was announced in December 2018 with the detailed development and assessment of the preferred option underway.

Route option assessment work on the eastern section between east of Huntly and Aberdeen is also well underway with the options currently under consideration presented to the public for comment in May 2019.

The spokesman added: "The work we are progressing on the dualling programme includes a rolling programme of regular engagement with local communities and other stakeholders to ensure businesses and individuals affected by the work are kept fully informed. More importantly, this will ensure feedback is taken into account as we develop our plans."