ShortlistforA9 contractfor PassofBirnam

The shortlist for contractors aiming to deliver the A9 dualling upgrade between Luncarty and the Pass of Birnam has been announced.

Four bidders - Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering, Dragados, and joint ventures between Farrans Construction and Roadbridge, and Wills Brothers Civil Engineering and Lagan Construction Group - are vying for the lucrative contract.

All four go forward in the process for the near six miles (9.5km) Perthshire stretch by Transport Scotland.

Keith Brown, economy secretary, said: “Work on the A9 dualling programme is continuing at pace, with preferred routes having been identified for more than 90% of the programme, and we expect to award the contract for the Luncarty to Pass of Birnam section in the first half of 2018.”

Elsewhere on the £3bn project, ground investigations on the stretch of the route between Pitlochry and Glen Garry are due to begin on Monday, September 4.

Work on the section is expected to last around 30 weeks. Most of this will be away from the existing road, but there are plans to install temporary traffic signals where contractors are working closely to the single carriageway where necessary.

This will include alternate single file traffic sections controlled by temporary traffic signals.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said:“This ground investigation is needed to get important information on the existing ground conditions.”