SNP leadership hopefuls cannot promise A96 dualling will be delivered by 2030
NO firm commitment to dual the entire length of the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen could be given by the would-be First Ministers at the SNP leadership debate in Inverness.
The SNP Government has previously committed to dual the trunk road by 2030, however, a review of that programme is ongoing.
That includes bypasses for Nairn, Elgin and Keith – communities that have been waiting for years for sign of progress.
The SNP Government has been accused of backtracking on its priority for dualling the main trunk road between Inverness and Aberdeen due to its coalition with the Green Party, which is against any major new road building.
Humza Yousaf did pledge to make the Inverness to Nairn dualling project, including a bypass for Nairn – one of the worst bottlenecks on the A96 at peak times –a priority if he becomes First Minister.
He said: "I would waste no time in getting Inverness to Nairn, including the Nairn bypass, up and running.
"This is not just about connectivity, it is about lives and safety, the A9 and A96.
"The rest of the (A96) dualling is going to be more challenging (by 2030), there is no getting away from that.
"People have been waiting far too long for the Inverness to Nairn, including the bypass."
Ash Regan said she hoped the A96 could still be dualled by 2030.
However, she added: "We need to look again at these projects. We can't leave communities waiting for years and years for things we have promised to them.
"These roads are very dangerous and people are losing their lives on these roads."
She gave a commitment to "speak to the experts" and look again at the A96 dualling project.
"Maybe we need to break these projects down into smaller parcels."
Kate Forbes said the Scottish Government had £5 billion of capital projects every year, which includes spending on roads, hospitals and schools.
"Our priorities need to reflect issues across Scotland and in the north we know that roads are key," she said.
"If there was a blockage in a key road in Glasgow there would be outrage and yet some of our roads, which are key lifelines, have been blocked for a long time."
The Scottish Government’s Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR), published in 2008, set out a number of transport priorities for the Inverness to Aberdeen corridor to be met by 2032.
These included: rail enhancements, new stations at Kintore and Dalcross, strategic park and ride at Dyce, upgrading of the A96 to dual carriageway between Inverness and Nairn, a bypass of Nairn and a new bridge at Inveramsay.
This was followed in 2014 with a Strategic Business Case (SBC) for the dualling, which recommended full dualling of the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen as the best option.
However, following the SNP coalition with the Green Party, a full review of the A96 corridor options was implemented, and is ongoing, with a view to setting the priorities for 2022-2042.
