By Colin Marr, Chief Executive, Inverness Chamber of Commerce
Earlier this week, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced provisional dates for work on the A96 dualling. She said construction “could” start on the Inshes to Smithton A9/A96 link in 2028/29, and on the Nairn Bypass in 2029/30.
Any progress is welcome, but it’s important to put these announcements in context. Public consultation for the Inshes/Smithton link took place in 2016. The last published scheme was for a single carriageway, not a dual carriageway. So, while the project is important and welcome, it is not the start of the full dualling we were promised.
The Nairn Bypass timeline is even more concerning. Work may not start until 2029/30, and the section between Inverness and the bypass remains without any date. Even these provisional timelines are caveated by “subject to business case approval and funding beyond the current spending review.” In other words, the government has not yet approved either the business case or the funding.
This is particularly frustrating when you consider that the Nairn Bypass was first announced in 2011, with full dualling of the A96 originally expected by 2030. The latest announcement suggests work could start around that date – but it provides no certainty that it will. After more than a decade, it is reasonable to ask why the business case has not been approved or funding ring‑fenced.
The case for this road has only strengthened. The Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport will generate significant manufacturing and assembly traffic for offshore wind projects at the ports of Ardersier, Nigg, and Cromarty. Much of this supply chain will link to Aberdeen, meaning traffic volumes and heavy loads on an already congested road will increase substantially.
For the sake of the Highland and national economy, the full dualling of the A96 must be accelerated. Funding must be secured and ring‑fenced, and bypasses along the route must be delivered without further delay to relieve towns from congestion and heavy traffic.