Safety improvement works worth around £200,000 have begun on the A9 between Clashmore to Latheron, north of Inverness.
This work is the final phase of the delivery of a wider package of safety improvement works between Golspie and Latheron that started in 2012 and includes improvements to bend signing, passive sign safety, safety barriers, high friction surfacing, and warning signs along the route.
Work has been undertaken in sections along the route from south to north with single lane closures, where required, limited to short sections to reduce delays along this vital section of the A9.
Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland's Operating Company Representative in the North West, said: "BEAR Scotland is pleased to have continued the safety improvements that were already underway on the A9 over the last two years. These works on the A9 north of Inverness will deliver enhancements to provide an immediate improvement to a driver's perception of hazards.
"We will continue to review the use of the A9 and where accidents are identified and engineering work can be undertaken, we will give consideration to measures to reduce accidents."
Stewart Leggett, Chair of the A9 Safety Group, said: “Transport Scotland is committed to improving the safety of the A9 and while there have been high profile investments between Perth and Inverness we continue to provide ongoing investment north of Inverness.
“The safety works completed and nearing completion in Caithness and Sutherland will provide drivers with improvements to bend definition to address the particular road safety challenges on this section of the route. It is expected that these improvements will lead to reductions in accidents and improve journey time reliability for road users.
“These works represent a substantial investment of over £500,000 showing that the communities north of Inverness are considered along with other users of the A9. The A9 Safety Group will continue to monitor the performance of the A9 along its entire length and where safety improvements are identified and are achievable they will be considered along with investments on other routes."
On completion of construction elements between Golspie and Latheron work will get underway by BEAR Scotland to review the A99 between Latheron and Wick. This far north route is a vital link from Wick to the A9 and, following investigation, it will be considered for future funding to provide safety improvements.
Details on the work of the A9 Safety Group, including other recently delivered engineering improvements on the A9 North of Inverness can be found at http://a9road.info/route-information/improvements-delivered-2013-2014/.
Further information on the A9 dualling programme can be found at www.transportscotland.gov.uk/a9dualling