The Scottish Government has announced its intention to award Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd the £185 million construction contract to dual the A9 between Tomatin and Moy.

The contract will kickstart the Scottish Government’s rolling programme of work to achieve its delivery plan for A9 Dualling between Perth and Inverness by 2035.

The dualling works between Tomatin to Moy will upgrade 6 miles of single carriageway to dual carriageway and, when complete, provide 20 miles of continuous dual carriageway between Inverness and Slochd.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said: “I am pleased to announce our intention to award the contract for Tomatin to Moy to Balfour Beatty. Once work starts on Tomatin to Moy, it will not stop until dualling between Perth and Inverness is complete.

“The award of this contract for A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy will start our rolling programme of construction to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness and reinforces our steadfast commitment to deliver on our plan.

“Major transport infrastructure supports the local community and businesses, providing jobs and delivering economic growth throughout the project and beyond.

“It has been fantastic to see the impact contractors working on the advance works have already brought to the local community, and I look forward to delivering further benefits to local businesses and communities through our investment in the construction of this section.”