The SNP’s “appalling betrayal” of rural communities is laid bare in new analysis, which shows it would take more than a century to upgrade the A9 if the current level of investment continued.
Research by the Scottish Conservatives indicates that it would take 111 years to fully dual the death-trap trunk road linking Perth and Inverness if the average annual expenditure rate since 2012 – £37.9million – continued.
The calculations – which are based on Transport Scotland’s 2008 estimate for the total project (£3billion) adjusted for inflation – highlight the “pitiful, snail-paced progress” of a project the SNP originally promised to complete by 2025.
They come days after ministers again angered campaigners by confirming that a parliamentary statement on the renewed timescale for dualling the A9 could still be weeks away, despite having been promised in the autumn.
Shadow transport minister Graham Simpson said the SNP-Greens continue to treat communities reliant on the A9 with contempt – and confirmed that the Scottish Conservatives would make dualling it the first pledge of their General Election manifesto.
Scottish Conservative shadow transport minister Graham Simpson MSP said: “These figures demonstrate the appalling betrayal by the SNP of those who rely on the A9.
“Every day that these essential upgrades are delayed, more lives are put at risk on this deadly road.
“The Nationalists originally pledged to have the A9 fully dualled by 2025, yet at the current rate of progress it would be well over a century late.
“That’s beyond embarrassing – it’s shameful. SNP ministers were already making pitiful, snail-paced progress on this, but the addition of the anti-car Greens to government has made things worse.
“Despite the mounting death toll and the understandable fury of campaigners, they continue to drag their heels by delaying a promised statement to parliament.
“The rural communities who depend on the A9 want to see the talking stop and work to finally start on the huge stretches that remain single carriageways.
“Unlike the Nationalists, the Scottish Conservatives will always stand up for rural and remote Scotland, which is why dualling the A9 will be the first pledge in our General Election manifesto.”
Notes
Transport Scotland estimates the cost of A9 dualling at £3bn in 2008 prices. The Transport Scotland website, lists ‘£3 billion (2008 prices)’ as the ‘budget’ for dualling the A9 from Perth to Inverness. This is £4.67 billion adjusted for current prices according to the Bank of England. (Transport Scotland, Accessed 30 November 2023, link; Bank of England inflation calculator, 30 November 2023, link).
At the rate of investment seen between 2012 and 2023, the A9 will not be dualled until 2134. The Scottish Government have confirmed that £455,480,492.12 has been spent on dualling the A9 from 2012 to the current date. This means there is still £4.21 billion to be spent in order to dual the A9. Between 2012 and 2023 there has been an average annual investment of £37,956,707.68. Therefore, it would take an additional 111 years to dual the A9 at this rate of annual investment in order to fulfil the total amount necessary to dual the A9 at current prices. (Transport Scotland FOI, 24 October 2023, Available on request).
Calculation: Cost of dualling the A9 adjusted for inflation is £4.67 billion. So far, £455,480,492.12 has been spent on the A9 dualling programme over 12 calendar years.
£4,670,000,000-£455,480,492.12 = £4,214,519,507,88 remaining investment required.
£455,480,492.12 /12 = £37,956,707.68.
£4,214,519,507.88/£37,956,707.68 = 111 rounded to nearest whole number. Therefore, at the current rate of annual investment it will take 111 years to fulfil the amount of investment required to dual the A9.
The SNP promised to dual the A9 in their 2007 election manifesto; they doubled down on this promise in 2011 whilst in government. Numerous sources reflect the 2007 promise to dual the A9, including this from the BBC: ‘The move [to set out plans to dual the A9], promised in the SNP 2007 election manifesto, was welcomed.’ Although the Transport Scotland has since wiped the promise to dual the A9 by 2025, in August 2020 (and likely more recently too) the website read ‘The Scottish Government has committed to completing the work by 2025.’ (Transport Scotland, Archived 8 August 2020, link; BBC, 29 November 2023, link).