WILLS Bros Civil Engineering is set to be appointed to lead work to dual the A9 between the Tay Crossing and Ballinluig.
Fiona Hyslop, Scottish Government cabinet secretary for transport, has announced her intention to award the firm with the £152.7 million construction contract for the fourth section in the A9 dualling programme.
The announcement of the preferred bidder is the final phase in the procurement process which, subject to the successful completion of a mandatory standstill period, will conclude with the award of the contract.
The £152.7 million contract forms part of the Scottish Government’s wider £257 million investment in the A9 dualling: Tay Crossing to Ballinluig project. It is anticipated that the new dual carriageway will be operational by end of 2028 at which point 45% of the A9 between Perth and Inverness will be dualled, contributing to a safer, more resilient route for road users.
In addition to enhancing journey time reliability and safety for road users through dualling, the contract will deliver a new side road network to improve access for the local communities of Dowally, Guay and Kindallachan; provision of a new overbridge at Guay South and a new underbridge at Kindallachan; and enhanced active travel routes and local path networks to improve access to and from the Highlands.
Fiona Hyslop said, “This announcement demonstrates further progress on delivery of our plan to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness. Our intention to award the contract for Tay Crossing to Ballinluig illustrates continued momentum in our delivery plan for dualling the A9 between Perth and Inverness.
“When work commences on this section, we will have active dualling works at both the southern and northern extents of the programme’s corridor – a clear sign of the momentum behind our delivery plan.
“In addition to the improvements delivered through dualling, this investment will provide lasting social value to the communities and businesses local to these areas. We have seen already how contractors across the Programme are making a positive impact through our Social Value Programme, and I look forward to seeing further benefits delivered in the construction of this section.
“This is the second contract to be awarded since our delivery plan for A9 dualling was announced in 2023, and clearly demonstrates that we are delivering on our promises. The receipt of three valid tenders during this procurement process means that we can also be confident that our investment in this A9 dualling contract demonstrates value for money, and that the changes we have made to our contracts in recent years are making a real difference.
“We are achieving the targets we have laid out, and making steady progress across the corridor to ensure that the full route between Perth and Inverness is dualled by 2035.”
