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Altnabreac wrote:There should however be a firm commitment for A9 Dunblane - Perth and A90 Dundee - Aberdeen to be upgraded to the same high standard with gap closures and GSJs.
I expect the former to be more likely than the latter in the medium term - mainly because Perth to Dunblane is over the half the length of Dundee to Aberdeen (26 versus 58 miles, or 49 miles to the future Fastlink junction). Just getting a single GSJ at Laurencekirk into the programme has taken quite some time, and it'll still be a few years before we see it built.
There are a very large number of farm accesses along both roads, and along the A90 there are what must be hundreds of accesses for minor roads and properties. If you wanted a proper high standard "expressway", then realistically you'd be looking at building a new route parallel to the existing road, and turning half of the existing road into a local access road.
Ideally the M9 would be extended from Dunblane to Perth, but at £25 million per mile or more, you'd still be talking at least £650m, and that's before you start redesigning Broxden to allow freeflow movements.
~96 miles of D2M from Dunblane to Perth, then Perth to Dundee (plus a Dundee bypass), then Dundee to Stonehaven would be my dream, but I'm not sure the government will be so willing to throw £3bn+ at this project!
Back in reality, it would be good to at least get all the junctions with classified roads on both the A9 and A90 using GSJs, even if it meant stopping up some junctions and funnelling a bit of extra traffic along local roads. Close the central reservation gaps too, of course. The many minor road accesses and field entrances would just have to be limited to LILO access. Even this though I imagine would be an expensive project.
Perth - Dundee has just sort of progressed this way by stealth without it ever being a co-ordinated plan.
A few new GSJs, some minor accesses closed or diverted, central reserve gaps closed and LILOs created. Now I think there is only a single gap remaining at Middlebank Farm.
So it can be done in stages and doesn't require a huge financial commitment in one go. But it does need doing.
85CF380 wrote:Nice to see that Brackley is getting a GSJ, that'll be a relief to the 34,000 vehicles a day, Oh
This is not entirely a case of building a GSJ for 2 crofts and a field of sheep! If the outline consents are taken to full development at Tornagrain and Whiteness somewhere in the region of 10-15,000 new homes will be build in this area.
The proposed Whiteness development will use the existing access road which was provided for the site in its previous use, which will connect directly to the Nairn West junction.
The current development at Tornagrain is starting near Mid Coul Farm and working west, so it connects to the existing airport roundabout and planned GSJ. If it eventually continues east it may have further connections to the existing A96 making Brackley junction of some use to that area.
Brackley will obviously be the least used junction, hence the more basic specification without roundabouts, but it's main reason for being provided that the existing road is being stopped where it crosses the railway, so there needs to be access to avoid causing lengthy detours or traffic using minor roads.
There would have to be a bridge there anyway, so adding the sliproads is pretty minor.
The public local inquiry into this scheme is now due to commence on 30 October at Smithton Free Church, then Nairn Community & Arts Centre from 13 November, followed by Craigmonie Hotel in Inverness from 20 November.
Perth - Dundee has just sort of progressed this way by stealth without it ever being a co-ordinated plan.
No it didn't, the gap closures and grade separation were heavily championed in the local press along with high profile accidents making the front page regularly that resulted in the 2 big GSJs at the Horn and at Kinfauns finally being developed and then built in the mid 2000s; they'd been pushing it since the road was fully dualled and sections like the bit past the castle gates with the trees in the middle (that someone once managed to wedge a car between about 10ft up) were removed.
Oddly enough it's the same publishing house that have been pushing for the A9 starting with Ballinluig and A96 upgrades and are slowly winding up for a full on assault on the A90 Dundee-Aberdeen starting with Laurencekirk and Lochlands.
Seems that the main objector to the Draft Orders (Hazeldene) and TS are close to an agreement, so their objection may well be withdrawn in the next week or 2. Moray Estates and a few others have also withdrawn objections so I'm now pretty confident we'll have Made Orders published next year.
A9Craig wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 00:11
Seems that the main objector to the Draft Orders (Hazeldene) and TS are close to an agreement, so their objection may well be withdrawn in the next week or 2. Moray Estates and a few others have also withdrawn objections so I'm now pretty confident we'll have Made Orders published next year.
Say 2 years for procurement and construction could, in theory, begin in 3 years time. However with the A9 ramping up around that time it will be a challenge to fund it.
A9Craig wrote: ↑Fri Oct 26, 2018 00:11
Seems that the main objector to the Draft Orders (Hazeldene) and TS are close to an agreement, so their objection may well be withdrawn in the next week or 2. Moray Estates and a few others have also withdrawn objections so I'm now pretty confident we'll have Made Orders published next year.
Say 2 years for procurement and construction could, in theory, begin in 3 years time. However with the A9 ramping up around that time it will be a challenge to fund it.
Funding for the A96 Inverness - Nairn may be more difficult depending on how much of the A9 dualling scheme takes place simultaneously. It was reported recently that the scheme is still on track to meet the projected completion date of 2025, but given that construction is now just starting on the second section I can't help but think that several sections must be planned to be dualled at once. Given that the Inverness - Nairn segment is due to be the first of the four stretches along the A96 to be improved it is probably the most likely to get caught up in a potential spike in the A9 progress/expenses. The remaining sections of A96 beyond Nairn will probably be easier to fund as there is less of a risk of clashing with the A9 work, while still keeping to the 2030 target completion date for the A96.
Hazeldene have now withdrawn their objection to the scheme. A legal challenge to the Draft Orders seems highly unlikely now, so the prospect of Made Orders in the next few months seems very possible.
I attended a session of the PLI at Nairn where Mrs Bailey of Auldearn gave a very good account of herself and had the TS and Jacobs reps tied up in knots at times. Good entertainment value and I hope she gets the noise mitigation her house seems to deserve out of this.
The Inverness - Nairn section of the A96 dualling project must be progressing fairly well if there are unlikely to be any objectors from now on. At least this seems to be the case in comparison to the sections further east where there is still disagreement towards certain aspects of the proposals.
A96 mentioned in this Inverness Courier article:
Scottish Government transport minister Michael Matheson tells Highland business leaders and politicians government is still "committed" to A9 and A96 dualling projects https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/new ... ng-190470/
The letter outlines the Scottish Government's commitment for the A9 and the A96 along with rail improvements.
While stating that the Scottish Government "needs to balance the extensive changes required to meet a target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions with its duty to ensure that Scotland has a high-quality transport system that meets the needs of all our population" transport secretary Michael Matheson also says the government is "committed" to dualling both roads – along with upgrade works to the Highland Main Line and improvements to the Aberdeen to Inverness rail line.
As well as the letter from the Cabinet Secretary there is also a quote from an unnamed Industry Source that the A96 Inverness - Nairn decision is likely to be made by ministers
The challenge may of course be getting a budget passed, if the Greens dig their heels in about the A9/A96. Perhaps some Lib Dems in Highland seats will be persuaded to back the budget (as happened last year in exchange for specific funding promises).
A9Dan wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2019 23:02
Just noticed the report for this scheme has finally been issued to Scottish Ministers.
With the Dalwhinnie to Crubenmore A9 report having made it to Made Orders after 11 months with Ministers I note this is still outstanding after 13 months. Hopefully might see some progress soon.
Go ahead given. Made orders to be published in summer with them sorting the CPO after that.
Tender will probably be late this year or next. I shall come back and see in a few years but my best guess is that work could start late 2023.
Good news. Sat on the Minister's desk for an impressive 16 months so I had wondered if it was a recommendation for refusal from the Reporters but that wasn't the case. Just being thorough obviously.
If this goes ahead it will be very welcome. It is a very busy stretch of road at any time of the day and hit Nairn at the wrong time of day abs it can take upwards of half an hour to traverse it.
Mikehannah wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 12:19
If this goes ahead it will be very welcome. It is a very busy stretch of road at any time of the day and hit Nairn at the wrong time of day abs it can take upwards of half an hour to traverse it.
Peak Weekday Travel Time eastbound through Nairn (Tradespark to Balmakeith Industrial Estate) in 2019 was at 17:15:
Mean = 10 minutes 27 seconds (average speed = 28kph)
95%ile = 19 minutes 36 seconds (average speed = 15kph)
Peak Weekday Travel Time westbound through Nairn (Balmakeith Industrial Estate to Tradespark) in 2019 was at 15:15:
Mean = 7 minutes 34 seconds (average speed = 39kph)
95%ile = 9 minutes 10 seconds (average speed = 32kph)
Education makes the wise slightly wiser, but it makes the fool vastly more dangerous. N. Taleb We tend to demand impossible standards of proof from our opponents but accept any old rubbish to support our beliefs. The human paradox that is common sense The Backfire Effect
