Skip to main content

Scottish road upgrade being planned

Plans have been unveiled for a proposed road upgrade project in Scotland. These plans show the preferred route for the upgrade to the A96 between Nairn and Fochabers, towns which lie to the east of Inverness on Scotland’s North East coast. The project is being planned by Transport Scotland and will see the 45km road section being upgraded to dual carriageway status. The work will include building new crossings over the Aberdeen to Inverness rail links, as well as over the Spey, Findhorn and Lossie rivers.
December 6, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Plans have been unveiled for a proposed road upgrade project in Scotland. These plans show the preferred route for the upgrade to the A96 between Nairn and Fochabers, towns which lie to the east of Inverness on Scotland’s North East coast. The project is being planned by Transport Scotland and will see the 45km road section being upgraded to dual carriageway status.

The work will include building new crossings over the Aberdeen to Inverness rail links, as well as over the Spey, Findhorn and Lossie rivers. Building a bridge over the Spey River will be subject to particularly strict environmental requirements as this river is central to some of Scotland’s most historic whisky distilleries.

Upgrading the A96 is long overdue as the present road does not cope well with traffic demand. The route is also subject to closures in winter, with the upgrade likely to make it easier to clear when conditions are severe. At present just 22km of the A96 route between Inverness and Aberdeen is of dual carriageway status. The plans call for the remaining 138km of the 160km A96 route between Inverness and Aberdeen to be upgraded to dual carriageway status.

Related Content

  • New EU-Russian highway connection
    February 18, 2013
    Among the forests and lakes of Finland, one of Europe's newest motorway links is being built as a Green highway linking Europe to Russia - Adrian Greeman reports The road eastwards from Finland's capital Helsinki, along the north coast of the Gulf of Finland, has not carried heavy traffic volumes, at least until recent times. Highway seven as it is designated locally, or E18 in European nomenclature, is partly motorway but in some sections still dual carriageway or even just a single lane each way, finishin
  • Zimbabwe road upgrade being planned
    February 4, 2019
    Construction work for the Beitbridge to Victoria Falls road upgrade project is expected to start shortly.
  • Just stop arguing and build the thing
    December 15, 2017
    The news that the preferred route has been announced for a new road and tunnel link that will bypass the UK’s famous Stonehenge stone circle comes after years of debate. The project is for the construction of a new 13km dual carriageway link and includes a 2.6km stretch of tunnel, which is the subject of some controversy. Because of the archeological importance of the area, the tunnel has been decided as being the best option for the new route. Building a tunnel will allow much of the important archeologi
  • South Africa roads upgrade planned
    March 1, 2019
    Major road improvements will be carried out in several South African provinces. The Transport ministry has set a budget of US$880 million to improve key road links. Some of the projects being handled by the state-owned road company, SANRAL, are commencing shortly and should be completed in the next 12-24 months. One link being improved is the RS573 Moloto Road, which has an unenviable reputation for its frequent crashes. A budget of $217 million has been set for the work, which will include widening secti