Balfour Beatty has secured a £185m contract to turn part of the A9 in the Scottish Highlands into a dual carriageway.
The contract, awarded by Transport Scotland, will also require the company to build four major bridges along the route, as well as deliver new side roads, and provide various junction upgrades.
The stretch of the A9 to be upgraded runs between Tomatin and Moy in the Highlands, approximately 21km South of Inverness.
Balfour Beatty will upgrade 9.6km of single carriageway to dual carriageway. The company will also provide over 10km of improved active travel routes to promote and encourage cycling and walking in the local area.
Hector MacAulay MBE, managing director of Balfour Beatty’s regional business in Scotland said: “We are pleased to have been appointed to deliver the latest phase of the A9 dualling programme, building on our proven track record of successful major infrastructure delivery.
“The A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy project will continue to deliver far reaching benefits to the Scottish economy, creating hundreds of new jobs and stimulating growth of business communities, especially in the tourism industry, as well as improving road user safety.”
Balfour Beatty says that, as part of its commitment to leaving a lasting positive legacy for the communities in which it operates, it will reduce its carbon emissions during the construction phase by sourcing local materials wherever possible.
The company also intends to harness digital delivery techniques such as 4D planning to digitally plan and rehearse the construction sequence of the Moy Rail Bridge and Dalmagarry Bridge to optimise the phasing of works, identify any potential construction sequencing challenges and put in place solutions to drive efficiencies and productivity.
The A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy project forms part of Transport Scotland’s multi-billion pound A9 Dualling Programme, for which a delivery plan was announced in December 2023.
It marks the third section of the programme to begin construction following the successful completion of the Kincraig to Dalraddy and the Luncarty to Pass of Birnam sections, which opened in 2017 and 2021 respectively, with the latter also being constructed by Balfour Beatty.
Main image: Computer generated image of the A9 between Tomatin and Moy
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