Road connecting to Highlands 'not fit for 21st century' as repair costs revealed
£16.9m has been spent on repairing the road in the last year.
The cost of maintaining a main road between the north east and the Highlands has reached the highest figure yet amid longstanding calls to dual the route.
Repair costs for the A96, which stretches between Aberdeen and Inverness, has more than doubled over the last five years, soaring to almost £17 million, according to figures released by the Scottish Conservatives.
In the last year alone, £16.9 million has been spent on repairing the major route. This compares to £14.9m in 2023/24, £11.8m in 2022/23, £13.4m in 2021/22 and £7.7m in 2020/2021.
The increase comes a month after 76 per cent of respondents to the Scottish Government’s consultation said they wanted the A96 to be dualled in full after the SNP promised to upgrade the road 14 years ago.
An 86-mile section between Inverness and south of Inverurie remains single carriageway.
Last year, ministers abandoned the commitment to make the A96 fully dual carriageway by 2030.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the works would be delayed but that the government remained in favour of fully dualling, adding that communities should have an opportunity to have a say on the final decision.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government confirmed it had secured land to start the dualling process from Inverness to Nairn, including a Nairn Bypass. It said an updated timeline of when dualling is to be completed will be decided at a later date factoring in budgets.
North East MSP for the Scottish Conservatives Douglas Lumsden said the cost illustrates that the A96 is “not fit for the 21st century”.
He has called on the Scottish Government to “finally commit” to fully dualling the road before the start of the new parliamentary term in August.
Mr Lumsden said: “These eye-watering figures show the crumbling A96 is not fit for the 21st century.
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“After decades of neglect by the SNP, it’s no surprise that repair costs are soaring each year as the road falls into a state of disrepair.
“This is the tragic reality of the dangers the road poses, yet the transport minister continues to kick the prospect of fully dualling the road into the long grass, despite the SNP’s promise 14 years ago.
“That is why I am calling on Fiona Hyslop to stop this nonsense and commit to the full upgrade, once and for all, before parliament resumes.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We continue to invest in our single biggest asset: the Motorway and Trunk Road Network, and will spend a total of £714 million in 2025-26, which is a 4.5 per cent increase from the previous year, despite reduced capital funding from the UK Government.
“We have continued to invest in the maintenance of all trunk roads, including the A96, in order to ensure the continued safe and effective operation of the network that road users rely upon. These costs also include repairs and recovery from storm damage, which are on the increase.”
Transport Scotland received more than 1,400 responses from stakeholders to local communities to its consultation on the A96.
The spokesperson added: “Any decision on the way ahead for the A96 corridor will need to take into consideration the UK Government’s recent Spending Review and its impact on Scottish Budgets, and the forthcoming update to the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan, expected later this year.”
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