This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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A9 Contract Awarded
16/07/2004
The contract for work on the upgrade of the A9 between the Allt Briste North to North of Ord of Caithness has been awarded.
The contract for Phase 1 has gone to AWG Construction Services Ltd and work will begin on August 9, 2004. The cost of the scheme is £6 million.
Transport Minister Nicol Stephen said that the upgrade will have journey time and road safety benefits.
Mr Stephen said:
"I am delighted to announce that work will begin on the Phase 1 upgrade between Helmsdale and Ord of Caithness on 9th August. This is great news for local people and those using this stretch of the A9 regularly.
"Work to upgrade 3 kilometres of this strategic route linking Caithness with the rest of Scotland will benefit the local economy, business and tourism. It will also make for easier access to the ferry ports serving the Orkney Islands.
"It will bring real benefits to users of the A9 by improving journey times and providing a dedicated north bound overtaking opportunity. This will reduce driver frustration and help improve road safety."
The Executive is planning to improve this section of road in two phases. It will improve the operation and efficiency of the network and there will also be safety benefits.
Phase 1 (Allt Briste North to North of Ord of Caithness) scheme was advertised in the Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC) on May 2, 2003 inviting applications from firms interested in tendering for the works. 3 firms pre-qualified for inclusion on the tender list.
Tenders were invited on March 26, 2004 and all three firms returned tenders by the extended tender return date of June 4, 2004.
AWG Construction Services Ltd has been awarded the contract and work will begin on August 9, 2004. The Design Consultant is Scott Wilson Scotland Ltd who will also supervise construction of the works.
The work comprises mainly of on-line widening of some 3 km of existing road. It includes an off-line section (new section of road) at Allt Briste North, where a new culvert, farm underpass and embankment across the valley will be built. Over this section a 600 metre length of climbing lane to improve overtaking opportunities will be constructed. The improvement at Ord Burn, carried out in 1999, will be incorporated within this phase. One metre hard strips flanking the carriageway have been incorporated in the design to reflect comments from the cycling lobby. Works are programmed to take one year to complete.
Phase 2 (Helmsdale to Allt Briste North) Road Orders were published on May 25, 2004 and the objection period expired on July 9, 2004. A Public Exhibition of the chosen route was held in Helmsdale on May 26 and 27, 2004. The Design Consultant for this phase is also Scott Wilson Scotland Ltd.