The multi-million-pound procurement process has begun for the A9 dualling project.
Transport Scotland published the Prior Information Notice for design work on the A9 dualling project, with companies invited to compete for a trio of contracts worth between £40 and £60 million each.
The Scottish Government said the design contracts for the 80 miles of road are three of the biggest ever offered.
They will cover the notorious route between Perth and Inverness, with the actual area covered by each contract to be determined during the procurement process. Hundreds of jobs are expected to be created during the project, due for completion by 2025.
Campaigners have long called for the road to be made dual carriageway along its entire length to cut a toll of accidents which has seen it named Scotland’s deadliest road.
Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “This £3 billion complex and challenging programme will be one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Scotland’s history.
“The sheer scale 80 miles of dual carriageway makes it good business and value for money to split this design work into three large sections.
“The start of procurement for the detailed design work is a clear indication of our commitment to this project.
“These contracts will provide steady work for the next 12 years for the three successful bidders, providing much-needed certainty and helping to secure jobs.
“In addition, these commissions are likely to offer many opportunities for small and medium enterprises through sub-consultancy work.”
He went on: “During design, and then construction, this project will deliver hundreds of jobs, directly and indirectly.
“When completed, the fully-dualled route will bring many benefits to road users, communities and businesses who live along or use this important route between central Scotland and the Highlands and Islands, including improved journey times and journey-time reliability and improved road safety.”
In a further boost to the civil engineering industry, tenders are also being sought for aerial topographical surveys as part of the project, as well as a separate one to upgrade the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen.
The contract, advertised yesterday by Transport Scotland, will help support the design work on the A9, as well as preliminary engineering services work on the A96.
Mr Brown said: “There is a great amount of work now going on to take forward this government’s commitment to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness by 2025.
“This aerial survey work will build on the engineering and environmental work well underway and the ground investigation work currently going on along the Luncarty to Pass of Birnam section of the route.”
More than 20 people have been killed on the A9 between Perth and Inverness in the last two years.
Since the SNP Government came to power, work has been completed on the notorious Ballinluig junction, near Pitlochry, and another accident blackspot at Bankfoot, north of Perth.