Fully dualling A96 'remains favoured position'

Making the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness fully dual carriageway remains the Scottish government's "current favoured position".

Transport Scotland has published a new report summarising public feedback from a consultation on options aimed at improving the route.

It has been passed to Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, who said the preferred option had not changed from full dualling.

Last year, a 2011 commitment to upgrade 86 miles (138km) of the route by 2030 was abandoned by the Scottish government.

The A96 passes through large areas of farmland, and the route includes the towns of Nairn, Elgin and Keith.

It has long stretches of single carriageway and some shorter dualled road and crawler lanes.

Ms Hyslop will now consider the feedback and assessment work, before the Scottish government makes a final decision on how to progress.

"The position of the Scottish government has not changed," she said.

"The current favoured position is to fully dual the A96 and we are already starting the dualling process from Inverness to Nairn, including a Nairn bypass, having acquired the land for the scheme earlier this year."

She said it was a sign of the public interest that more than 1,400 responses to the consultation were received.

"It was important that local people, businesses and communities were given the opportunity to help inform the government's final decision on how to take forward improvements to the A96 corridor," Ms Hyslop said.

The 12-week consultation took place from November to February.

More than 60% of respondents expressed support for the current commitment to fully dual the A96.