Failure to commit to A96 dualling would be a “betrayal” of north east says Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross
The Scottish Government has been accused of “abandoning” Moray and the north east ahead of a statement on the A96 corridor review.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop will make a statement on the long-awaited review at around 2pm today.
Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross says Ms Hyslop must confirm that the SNP will fully duel the key route in her statement adding that a failure to do so would be a “betrayal” of the region.
There is already speculation that the completion date to fully dual the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness, originally targeted for 2030, is likely to be extended by years today.
Mr Ross said: “The SNP must use this statement tomorrow to commit to fully dualling the A96. Anything less would be a complete betrayal of Moray and the north east.
“People living and working in these communities are desperate for the A96 to be fully dualled, as the SNP promised to do in their 2021 election manifesto.”
He added: “Constituents in Moray and across the Highlands are sick and tired of the SNP rowing back on their previous commitments to the region and continually kicking the review into the long grass, after they originally said it would be published two years ago.
“Now the SNP are consulting on cutting speed limits on single carriageways.
“They wouldn’t have had to impose more restrictions on motorists if they had delivered on their promise to dual the A96 as planned.
“The A96 continues to see far too many tragic accidents.
“Dualling this road would drastically improve motorists safety and boost our local economy.
“The dualling of the A96 must be a top priority for SNP ministers.”
The A96 corridor review was ordered in 2021 when the Greens joined the SNP-led government.
Since then, the A9 date has been set back by years.
The Inverness-Nairn section of the A96 remains the most likely to get attention after the government announced in March that steps had been taken to acquire land.
