A milestone has been reached with the 20,000th signature on a campaign to dual the A9 Perth to Inverness road.
Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser is the main figure behind the Dual The A9 online campaign, and he believes that by reaching this amount it is symptomatic of a public desire to see the road dualled before the proposed 2025 completion date.
The Conservative politician recently proposed an increased HGV single carriageway speed limit, which he feels would reduce accidents on the road.
The Scottish Government have outlined a £3 billion programme to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness by 2025.
Preparatory groundwork on the Luncarty to Pass of Birnam section will take place until June. A contract, believed to be in the region of around £1.3 million, is set to be awarded for work on this section of the A9 towards the end of this month.
The A9 has been described as Scotland’s most dangerous road and has claimed more than 70 lives in the past decade.
Mr Fraser spoke about the importance of Dual The A9.
“The campaign has surpassed the 20,000 signature mark, which is testament to the national significance of this campaign,” he said.
“This milestone is also representative of a wider public desire to see the work completed before 2025.
“The petition includes signatures from all four corners of the UK as well as thousands of local signatures which underlines the huge level of community support for this project.
“It is clear from the comments on the website that many people who use the A9 want to see it dualled, and dualled fast.
“The continual and confusing switches between single and dual carriageway is often the cause of many accidents a dualled road would solve this issue.”
The petition can be found at dualthea9.com