The politics behind A9 delays - the 'wasted years', 7 transport ministers and ongoing doubts

After all, the SNP did initially promise to dual the road between Perth and Inverness by next year.

In an exclusive interview with The Scotsman, Ms Hyslop was asked if she can guarantee the road will be completed by the new deadline of 2035.

She said: “Yes - because what we have done in the Scottish Government is worked very closely with our finance colleagues to ensure there is a proper funding model, and to make sure the revenue required is baked into the Scottish Budget.”

Ms Hyslop also has high hopes for the next 11 years of the project, saying good progress has been made with issuing new contracts in the project, and that construction work on the Tomatin to Moy section will begin next year.

“We are still on track to achieve 50 per cent completion by 2030, 85 per cent by 2023, and full dualling by 2035,” Ms Hyslop said. “It’s on track, it’s on budget, and in terms of the new provision that’s been set out, we are moving forward. Progress is being made.”

Ever since the A9 dualling promise was first made back in 2011, progress has been slow and construction has been hampered by numerous delays. So why has progress been so slow up until now?

There are politicians across the chamber in Holyrood who place the blame squarely at the feet of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

“I am not being unfair to Nicola Sturgeon when I say she didn’t give the A9 the same priority as [her predecessor] Alex Salmond did,” SNP backbencher Fergus Ewing said.

Mr Ewing was a staunch ally of the late Mr Salmond, and despite serving in Ms Sturgeon’s Cabinet, he has been critical of her leadership.

He said: “There was a lack of drive in the Sturgeon administration and she didn’t push it [the A9] at all - 2021 to 2024 were wasted years.”

The Inverness and Nairn MSP has spent these “wasted years” on the backbenches where he has been outspoken on the issue in Holyrood, often directing huge amounts of anger at his own party. He even demanded former first minister Humza Yousaf quit if he could not guarantee the dualling project could be completed.

There has also been a high turnover of transport ministers ever since Ms Sturgeon came to power in 2014. No fewer than five transport ministers served under Ms Sturgeon, and a further two under Mr Yousaf.

“I’m sure the turnover of transport secretaries has been a factor,” said Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser. “As each new minister has come in, there is a period of time needed to get them up to speed. That probably means projects haven't progressed.”

Mr Fraser is another politician outspoken on the A9 dualling project, after he himself was involved in a serious head-on collision near Carrbridge that left him hospitalised. 

In February this year, Mr Yousaf made the transport portfolio a full Cabinet position, and Ms Hyslop went from being a junior minister to a Cabinet secretary overnight.

She said unlike some of her predecessors, she is in it for the long haul.

“I do recognise there has been a high turnover of transport ministers,” she said. “Traditionally it was seen as a stepping stone to higher office. But as someone who has already served in government, I wanted to come back to support the government with what is obviously a difficult portfolio.

“It is challenging, but I don’t have ambitions to go further. I want to stay here for some time and support this project - continuous oversight is really important.”

Others say the influence of the Scottish Greens in recent years has played a part in delays.

The Scottish Greens are against expanding road projects. However, the A9 dualling was not part of the Bute House Agreement that brought them into government.

But aside from Mr Ewing, the SNP are adamant the party is not to blame for the delays.

In recent weeks, First Minister John Swinney has been bringing up a squabble from 17 years ago, when £500 million he wanted to spend on the A9 dualling was funnelled into the Edinburgh Trams instead. 

Ms Hyslop: “There’s no one thing that has caused the issues, but one of the main issues has been around the funding mechanisms that have been available. And then there were obvious delays around the coronavirus pandemic, as people will understand. But we are now on track.”

Another major issue is the contracts that have been awarded for the engineering works. The Civil Engineering Contractors Association branded Transport Scotland the “worst” client to deal with in the whole of the UK.

In the case of the Tomatin to Moy section, only one bidder put themselves forward for the contract, and it was deemed too pricey by SNP ministers and was rejected. The contract was re-tendered and given to Balfour Beatty for £15 million more than the rejected bid.

Mr Fraser said: “The construction industry said the style of contract was making it really unattractive to bid for it. That should have been sorted out and identified before it became an issue.”

Mr Ewing added: “There was a completely botched tendering process, which put all of the risk on the contractors. The risks were substantial, so no one was keen to bid for it, which is why we only had one bidder for the Tomatin to Moy section.”

The transport secretary is keen to point out the contract type recommended by the industry has since been adopted, but warned this put more burden and risk back onto the Government.

There are doubts in Holyrood beyond the key figures in the argument though - the citizen participation and public petitions committee says it is still “unconvinced” there will be enough money to complete the £3.7 billion project.

This cross-party group is dealing with a public petition to get the road fully dualled and has spent the past year carrying out a detailed inquiry into the project.

Mr Fraser said: “I think the sadness in the ten-year delay is we will see ten years of accidents and fatalities we wouldn't have otherwise seen. There is a horrible human cost to all those involved.”

Mr Ewing added: “The massive majority of people in the Highlands are for it, because a huge number of people have lost their lives. The road is regularly closed and impassable because of the frequent accidents.”

There is hope too - especially as both Mr Swinney and Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes represent constituencies on the A9 and therefore have a vested interest in what happens on this road.

As Mr Fraser put it: “It will be very embarrassing for them if there is no progress.”