At £33m a mile, the SNP simply cannot allow a ferry-style fiasco on the A9
Some may feel a sense of dread after Transport Scotland announces a £1.94 billion package of contracts to dual the A9
At more than £33 million a mile, the package of contracts announced by Transport Scotland to dual 58 miles of the A9 road between Perth and Inverness may seem on the generous side, at least to untrained eyes.
However, the big question is not so much whether the taxpayer is being overcharged at the outset, but if the total budget of £1.94 billion and the new target completion year of 2035 – a decade later than originally planned – reflect the reality of what’s about to happen. Based on previous experiences, many will have their doubts; others may feel a sense of dread.
The most egregious example of poor project management by the Scottish Government and its agencies in recent years is undoubtedly the ill-fated construction of two ferries for long-suffering and hard-pressed CalMac. Originally expected to cost £97m, the total bill is now more than four times that and rising, with the Glen Rosa not yet finished and repairs earlier this year to the Glen Sannox, which only entered service last year, costing £3.2m.
Endlessly ripped off
In the event of a ferry-style fiasco on the A9, Scotland could be looking at a total bill of £8 billion or more. Preventing anything close to this from happening and demonstrating a degree of competence must be a priority for the new Transport Secretary, Stephen Flynn, and Transport Scotland.
We suggest that the Scottish Government and its quango make considerable efforts to work together in lock-step and not allow the usual ‘arm’s length’ distance between them to create confusion or other problems in dealing with the myriad of construction companies that will do the work.
It should not be too much to hope for that this project can come in on time and, dare we say, even slightly under budget. Indeed, it almost has to, in order to restore public confidence and diminish the feeling that the taxpayer is being endlessly ripped off.
In a changing world, Scotland will need to upgrade much of its infrastructure in the coming years, not least to attract inward investment. Time to start earning a reputation for being good at big, expensive, important projects.
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