A9 dualling work to ramp up as preferred bidder announced for £153m fourth section

Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop has announced her intention to award Wills Bros Civil Engineering a £152.7m construction contract for the fourth section of the A9 Dualling Programme between Tay Crossing and Ballinluig.

The announcement of the preferred bidder is the final phase in the Scottish procurement process which, subject to the successful completion of a mandatory standstill period, will conclude with the award of the contract.

The contract is part of the Scottish Government’s £257m investment in the A9 Dualling: Tay Crossing to Ballinluig project. It is anticipated that the new section of 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. The aim is for the full route between Perth and Inverness to be dualled by 2035. 

In addition to enhancing journey time reliability and safety for road users through dualling, the Tay Crossing to Ballinluig section 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. 

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said, “This announcement demonstrates further progress on delivery of our plan to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness. 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.