Achi news desk-
Last year the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee began considering a petition brought by road safety campaigner Laura Hansler calling on ministers to fulfill their 2011 promise to fully dual carriageway between Perth and Inverness by 2025.
Only 11 miles of the road have been upgraded over the last decade, with around 80 miles to go. The Scottish Government admitted last year that the original timetable could not be met, and the work is now not expected to be completed under 2035.
READ MORE: Dualing of the A9 to be completed by 2035
The petition also asked the government to consider creating a national memorial to those who have lost their lives on the road, which changes from dual carriageway to single carriageway several times and is known as a bad spot on for accidents. More than 300 people have died on the road since 1979.
As part of its evidence gathering sessions, the public petitions committee will hear from Mr Salmond next Wednesday and from his successor Nicola Sturgeon on 29 May.
Mr Salmond was head of the Scottish Government at the time the devolution commitment was made, while the latter was First Minister between 2014 and last year.
READ MORE: John Swinney to be the next SNP leader and First Minister
Committee convener Jackson Carlaw said the evidence sessions would focus on getting to the bottom of “fundamental unanswered questions” about why the twinning project had been allowed to fall so far behind.
“During our Dualing Investigation on the A9, there have been a number of serious injuries and further deaths on the road, all of which are an unmitigated tragedy,” he said in March.
“When we launched our call for views at the start of this inquiry, it was clear that the main priorities for those who use and rely on the road are to complete the promised dualling and improve safety on the ways in the meantime.
“After taking evidence from a wide range of stakeholders and previous transport ministers, fundamental questions remain unanswered as to why the A9 dualling project was allowed to be so far behind the originally promised completion date and who is responsible for that failure.
“As former prime ministers, Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon can hopefully shed some light on the governance and decision-making processes at the top of government during their time in office and help the committee understand what needs to be done change to ensure that it will. no backsliding on the new anticipated completion date of 2035.”
Before Mr Salmond’s appearance at the committee, a spokesman for Alba said: “Mr Salmond’s government had a good record of delivery.
“Whether it’s the Queensferry Crossing, the Aberdeen Western Peripheral route, the completion of the M74 or the Borders railway. There was trust in his government to deliver so he’s looking forward to his appearance to assist the committee in its work to establish why the A9 dualling project has been so delayed since he left office.”
In December 2011 the Scottish Government committed to dualling the road between Perth and Inverness by 2025 but in December 2023 they admitted it would be 2035 before the work could be completed.
The then transport secretary Mairi McAllan, who now oversees the economy brief, said she accepted that “people have been waiting too long”.
He said the government was “working hard to give the Highlands the confidence” that half the work will be completed by 2030, 85% finished by 2033 and the final stage is expected to open by 2035.
“This program has faced challenges and I recognize that it has not progressed at the pace we would have liked,” he said.
“However, the A9 is the backbone of Scotland. It must be safe, reliable and as resilient as possible and that is what the Scottish Government will deliver.”
The SNP’s former government partners, the Scottish Greens, had spoken out against the need for dual trunk roads, claiming it would increase traffic and therefore the potential for accidents.
However, co-leader Lorna Slater, the former government minister for green skills, circular economy and biodiversity, said last year that work on the A9 needed to go ahead “to make that road safe “.
Mr Salmond’s last appearance before MSPs was when he gave evidence to the Scottish Government Harassment Complaints Committee in February 2021.
That investigation was established after the Scottish Government admitted in court during a Judicial Review, that it had not followed the correct procedures after two complaints were made against Mr Salmond. Mr Salmond denied the allegations.
Judge Lord Pentland said the government’s internal inquiry had been “illegal in that it was procedurally unfair” and had been “tainted with apparent bias”. The Scottish Government had to pay £512,250 in legal costs to Salmond.
