By Paul Reoch

YESTERDAY HERALDED the start of the much-awaited £15 million upgrading of a Perthshire junction long branded an accident blackspot.

North Tayside MSP John Swinney—who has, with other politicians, hauliers, residents and The Courier, fought a long campaign to have the A9 dualled—was given the task of “breaking the ground” at Ballinluig and described it as “a very significant day.”

The scheme, financed by Transport Scotland, will deliver a grade-separated (fly-over) junction to replace right turns across oncoming traffic. Local access will be improved and a 600-metre A9 section will become dual carriageway.

The junction has a history of accidents—four members of an Israeli family died in 2001 after a collision. The accident rate has fallen since the introduction of a 50mph speed limit but fatalities have continued.

Mr Swinney, the Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, is a long-term advocate of dualling the A9 and highlighted the significance of yesterday’s occasion.

“This is one of those days I am delighted to be making such an announcement,” Mr Swinney said.

“When I was elected 10 years ago I was involved in improving road safety on the A90 at Forfar.

“Ballinluig has been an outstanding issue for many years and I must commend the local community, who have energetically campaigned to have this junction improved.

“Road safety is a major issue for this government and I’m glad work has finally started at Ballinluig. There will be a series of road safety measures to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness,” he said.

Balfour Beatty have been awarded the 12-month contract. Russell Rennie, operations director for Balfour Beatty, said the company were keen to have the flyover in place in the specified time.

“We have a commitment to deliver road safety improvements and have a long association with the A9 stretching back to the 1970s when we created the by-pass at Pitlochry,” he said. “We aim to deliver this grade-separated junction within the 12-month period.

“We worked in conjunction with Transport Scotland and liaised with Tayside Police to build the grade-separated junctions at Kinfauns and Glendoick and we will continue with this support by improving access at Ballinluig.”

Environmental issues will also be considered to protect the “excellent wildlife” in the area, he added.

Norman McCandlish, a long-standing A9 campaigner, said the £15 million scheme was “better late than never”, adding, “I am very happy that work has started. The community of Ballinluig very much welcomes this.

“There was a fear that this might be delayed by the Government, who have a habit of doing that. The flyover will make a huge difference to the likelihood of accidents at Ballinluig. With no right turns there should not be any incidents now.”

Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire, said one of his first duties at Westminster was to chair a meeting in Ballinluig, following the deaths of the Israeli family in 2001.

“The announcement of the start of this long-awaited and much needed work is fantastic news for the people of Perth and North Perthshire and every single driver and passenger who uses the A9,” he said.

Councillor Ken Lyall, who represents the ward, added, “I have a special interest in this junction through my work with the ambulance service.

“I have attended bumps and fatalities at Ballinluig and it is great news that work has begun at this junction,” he said.

Ballinluig junction, eight miles north of Dunkeld, has witnessed 11 accidents between 1997 and 2006, three of which involved fatalities.