The A9 dualling programme between Perth and Inverness is intended to improve a key Highland route. The January 2026 delivery update sets out the approach to completing the remaining sections.

A9 Dualling Project Overview

• Proposal: Completion of dualling on the remaining single-carriageway sections.
• Location: The Perth–Inverness corridor.
• Promoter’s case: Safer and more reliable journeys on a strategic route.
• Main controversy: Delays, funding decisions and confidence in delivery, rather than a simple split between supporters and opponents of dualling.

Project Status & Local Controversy

The revised programme retains an end-of-2035 completion target and describes capital funding for the remaining work. A Scottish Parliament committee linked earlier delay to a lack of agreement over funding. The missed earlier target makes transparency about procurement, construction progress and emerging risks central to public confidence.

Discussion point: What information would convince road users and local communities that the new timetable is deliverable, and how should further slippage be explained?

Infrastructure Capacity & Delivery

• Milestones: Publish section-by-section commitments, dependencies and reasons for changes in a form people can track.
• Interim safety: Which safety improvements can be delivered while communities wait for the remaining dual carriageway?

Environmental and Landscape Risks

• Landscape and habitats: How will detailed designs and construction methods limit effects on sensitive Highland settings?
• Drainage and resilience: Will the completed road and surrounding drainage remain reliable during extreme weather?

Access and Community Impacts

• Local access: How will junction design and temporary diversions serve farms, businesses and communities along the route?
• Transport choices: What parallel improvements to public transport and active travel would ensure investment also helps people who do not drive?

Sources & Further Reading

• A9 programme: January 2026 delivery update
• Scottish Parliament: findings on funding and delay

Research checked on 8 October 2026. The highlighted discussion point is an editorial question, not a quotation from a resident.