Are Scottish Government money woes at root of ‘glacial’ pace on A9 work? Contractors certainly think so
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has admitted significant challenges lay ahead to finance the A9 dualling project.
It comes after a major industry body suspects Transport Scotland of moving at “glacial” pace due to a lack of cash.
Tomorrow, the petitions committee is due to hear evidence on A9 campaigner Laura Hansler’s call for an inquiry into the missed A9 deadline to have the Inverness-Perth section dualled by 2025, amid an explosive submission from the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA).
CECA says the contract Transport Scotland uses to procure road projects is considered a “dated, unattractive anomaly” and as a result “Transport Scotland is regarded by CECA members across the UK as the worst client to work for in the UK”.
Suspicion amongst contractors
The association added: “The civil engineering sector in Scotland have known for many years that the promise to dual the A9 by 2025 would not be met.
“The pace at which design and development work and subsequent road orders for each of the 11 sections has been carried out can be best described as being glacial.
“There is a suspicion amongst contractors that this slow pace has been deliberate as there has been insufficient budget allocated to allow these sections to be procured.”
That is likely to pile pressure on the beleaguered First Minister whose transport worries continue to mount, particularly after last week’s resignation of transport minister Kevin Stewart on mental health grounds.
During a visit to Inverness yesterday, Mr Yousaf acknowledged funding would be revealed by the end of the year while he did not expect any announcement on the Moy to Tomatin section of the A9 before the summer recess.
'Challenging' to give Tomatin to Moy update before summer
The First Minister said: “It’ll be challenging before summer. Let’s see what can be done, if not we will absolutely come back in autumn of this year and give details – not just of the Tomatin to Moy section but of the other remaining sections too.”
There are persistent concerns that since the government admitted that it would not make the 2025 dualling deadline the scheme would fall down the agenda – something the First Minister denies.
Yet Mr Yousaf appeared determined to confront the issue openly. Asked if he had made good on his promise to sit down with the finance secretary and sort out the funding issues, he said unequivocally: “Yes. I have had quite a few conversations with the finance secretary [Shona Robison]. We are looking at various different innovative models in terms of the various capital projects.
“It’s not a secret because Shona Robison stood up in parliament just a couple of weeks ago and spoke about the challenges the public finances face – she’s given the details of that.
“She will set, at the end of this year, what our budget will be for the coming financial year and, of course, that will include capital projects we are looking to make progress on, including very much the A9.
“These are challenging financial constraints we are working under but I’m very committed to making good on those capital projects that we had promised in our last manifesto or since then.”
New transport minister appointment 'imminent'
The A9 dualling programme will upgrade 80 miles of road from single to dual carriageway, with Transport Scotland estimating it would cost
£3 billion – at 2008 prices.
And the new transport minister will be appointed “imminently” – said Mr Yousaf early yesterday afternoon. But he wished to take some time, saying: “We want to make sure we get not just the right person in place but make sure we’re giving all the appropriate support to anybody who comes into that role.”
If the new transport minister is appointed this week, one of the first things they will have lined up to do is deal with what emerges from the petitions committee amid CECA’s damning assessment of Transport Scotland.
