Dualling the A9: what are the plans for Dunkeld?

By Aileen Robertson

October 28 2022, 6:00am

Transport Scotland has mooted this road layout. Image: Transport Scotland.

Plans to dual the A9 at Dunkeld will be unveiled in the coming months, but what are they likely to include?

The Scottish Government maintains it is “firmly committed” to making the whole stretch of the road from Perth to Inverness a dual carriageway.

With sections of both single and dual carriageway, the current A9 layout can be confusing for motorists, particularly tourists who are not familiar with the road.

There are accident blackspot along its length.

This map illustrates how many accidents there were on the A9 last year.

After the completion of the Luncarty dualling project last year, you can now drive from Perth to just south of Dunkeld before you get to a single carriageway section.

But after a recent spate of accidents on the A9, Dunkeld residents say making the road safer is a matter of urgency.

So how will the A9 look in the future?

There’s probably not going to be a tunnel

Local residents were given the chance to come up with their own vision for the A9.

And they thought big.

The local community favoured a mile long tunnel, to bridge the gap between the town and its railway station. Image: Transport Scotland.

The Dunkeld community called for a mile long tunnel, uniting the town with its railway station, which is currently at the other side of the road.

But the Scottish Government is unlikely to back that idea.

In 2018, opting for that scheme was estimated to cost up to a blistering £1.6 billion.

Transport Scotland officials said a tunnel would involve “significant ongoing costs”.

And they said there was also a “significant risk” of stationary cars in the tunnel causing accidents.

What about a roundabout?

In addition to a tunnel, the community would like to see a roundabout created at the site of the existing Dunkeld junction.

Local people backed a roundabout. Image: Transport Scotland.

However, the government’s A9 Dualling Programme strategy favours grade separated junctions over roundabouts.

Grade separated junctions keep opposing traffic flows apart, usually involving an overpass or tunnel.

There are concerns that a roundabout is more likely to cause accidents than a grade separated junction.

Is this the preferred option?

Before the pandemic hit, Transport Scotland came up with additional options for the A9 at Dunkeld.

Transport bosses said this was necessary to ensure the preferred option is “defendable through the planning process”.

A9 Dunkeld — Transport Scotland has mooted this road layout. Image: Transport Scotland.

An alternative option, unveiled to the public in March 2019, is described as a “full movement grade separated junction”.

There would be northbound and southbound slip roads and an underbridge connecting the A923 and A822.

At the time it was mooted, transport bosses said it would provide safer access to the A9 and was in line with the A9 Dualling Programme Strategy.

However, there is a catch.

“This option has a greater landscape and visual impact compared with a
roundabout,” said transport chiefs.

“Additionally, it requires more land take than the community’s option and requires the loss of additional areas of existing woodland.”

A spokesperson said the Scottish Government would reveal the preferred design for the Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing stretch of the A9, which includes Dunkeld, “in the coming months”.

He added: “We remain firmly committed to completing the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness. We have already invested over £400 million to date delivering the dualling programme.”