Tomatin to Moy Dualling is advancing across the Scottish Highlands as major construction works reshape the 9.6km A9 corridor. The £296 million scheme forms part of Scotland’s wider program to upgrade the A9 between Perth and Inverness.
At the current exchange rate, the investment equals approximately $394.5 million. Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering secured the construction contract in July 2024. Major construction works then commenced in April 2025.
The section now targets completion and opening by the end of spring 2028. Therefore, current activity has shifted from procurement into major civil engineering and structural works.
Tomatin to Moy Dualling enters major construction phase
The project will upgrade approximately six miles of existing A9 carriageway to dual carriageway standard. It will also introduce a new grade-separated junction at Tomatin.
Four additional left-in and left-out junctions will improve access along the route. Furthermore, construction includes new crossings over the Highland Main Line railway and local watercourses. The scheme will also provide new lay-bys, bus turning facilities, footpaths and cycleways.
Construction has already progressed beyond initial site preparation. Works include the diversion of Dalmagarry Burn and construction of numerous culverts. Teams are also preparing for construction of the new Moy Rail Bridge.
Significant earthworks are simultaneously shaping the future dualled road alignment. Traffic management measures continue as construction teams work around the existing A9. Recent measures have included temporary signals, lane widening and controlled traffic movements.
The project also carries a substantial local economic program. Transport Scotland reported that 36% of site employees were locally based during the project’s first year. The project had also generated more than £1 million in spending with nearby SMEs. Three apprentices and eight graduates were working on the project at that stage. The program expects to deliver at least 88 new workforce qualifications by completion.
Tomatin to Moy Dualling supports wider A9 program
The Tomatin to Moy section represents one component of the 83-mile A9 Dualling Program. The wider program comprises 11 individual projects between Perth and Inverness. Two sections currently operate as completed dual carriageways.
Tomatin to Moy and Tay Crossing to Ballinluig are now under construction. Meanwhile, Transport Scotland has moved the remaining sections into a new procurement framework.
In September 2026, Transport Scotland invited tenders for a £1.94 billion delivery framework. The framework will procure the remaining sections of the A9 program. It aims to maintain the program’s target for completion by the end of 2035.
The framework follows Scotland’s January 2026 decision to use capital-funded design-and-build contracts. The A9 program also sits within a broader UK push for strategic road infrastructure investment.
For comparison, England’s Lower Thames Crossing is progressing through enabling works before major tunnel construction begins. The £10.6 billion project includes twin tunnels beneath the Thames and a new strategic road connection.
Read also: Developer Unveils 18 Blackfriars Road Tower Scheme in London
Timeline for A9 Dualling Construction Project: Tomatin to Moy
The contract for the A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy project is expected to be awarded in early Summer 2024. They project that construction will take about three years. This announcement followed the First Minister’s declaration in a Parliamentary Statement on the Programme for Government.
The revision of the A9 Dualling construction contract and procurement strategy for the Tomatin to Moy section results from the failure of the initial tender process. The updated strategy uses a new industry-preferred contract and aims for a fair risk distribution. This change marks a significant shift in Transport Scotland’s approach to major projects, showing the government’s commitment to efficient delivery.
Project Fact Sheet
Project: A9 Dualling Tomatin to Moy
Location: Scottish Highlands, Scotland, United Kingdom
Type: Road infrastructure and dual carriageway construction
Section length: Approximately 9.6km
Investment: £296 million at Q2 2024 prices
Current status: Under construction
Major construction start: April 2025
Contract award: July 2024
Target opening: End of spring 2028
Existing road: A9 single and overtaking wide single carriageway
New road: Dual carriageway
Junctions: New grade-separated Tomatin junction and four left-in/left-out junctions
Railway infrastructure: New crossings over the Highland Main Line
Bridge works: New Moy Rail Bridge and Dalmagarry Bridge
Water infrastructure: Dalmagarry Burn diversion and new culverts
Active travel: New footpaths and cycleways
Public transport facilities: New bus turning facilities
Wider program: A9 Dualling Perth to Inverness
Wider program length: 83 miles
Procurement model: Capital-funded design-and-build contracts
Wider program target: Completion by end of 2035
Current traffic management: Temporary signals, lane controls and construction-related traffic measures
Project Team
Client: Transport Scotland
Government authority: Scottish Ministers
Main contractor: Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd
Technical advisers: AtkinsRéalis WSP Joint Venture
Construction contract value: £185 million
Overall project investment: £296 million
Program: A9 Dualling Perth to Inverness
Transport authority: Scottish Government / Transport Scotland
Main construction activities: Earthworks, bridges, drainage, carriageway construction and junction works
Social value delivery: Balfour Beatty and Transport Scotland
Local workforce and skills: Balfour Beatty and Transport Scotland
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