THE Scottish Government intends to fully dual the A96, the Transport Secretary has told MSPs.
However, Fiona Hyslop said in the Holyrood chamber that it would not be possible by 2030 – which had previously been pledged.
Hyslop said that a review conducted by Transport Scotland, which was published on Thursday after being created due to the ruling agreement with the Greens, would now be opened to public consultation.
The A96 runs from Inverness to Aberdeen. The SNP first pledged to dual the road in their 2011 Holyrood manifesto.
The review recommended not dualling the road. Although that was seen as the safest option, it was considered worse in eight other assessed areas, and equal in four.
The cost of full dualling east of Nairn to Aberdeen was estimated in the range of £2.5 billion to £5bn, which compares with a range of £501m to £1bn for the refined package.
Transport Scotland said: “That is why, along with its performance in relation to the assessment criteria, the appraisal has identified that the refined package of options is the optimal one.”
Hyslop told MSPs that, while the Scottish Government favours fully dualling the A96 road, it may ultimately decide to take another path.
The SNP minister said that “no final decision has been made”.
Inverness and Nairn SNP MSP Fergus Ewing accused ministers of “betraying” locals who use the road.
Hyslop told Holyrood: “The Scottish Government’s current plan is to fully duel the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen.
“As part of this process, Transport Scotland has been undertaking a transparent, evidence-based review.”
Hyslop was interrupted by Douglas Ross, who accused her of deliberately misleading Parliament and said the government is “backsliding” on its commitment.
The Transport Secretary went on: “The Scottish Government currently favours fully dualling the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen.
“The A96 corridor review evidence suggests that there may be a different approach to provide alternative solutions at a more cost-effective, affordable budget.
“It is important that we gather the public’s views before making a final decision on the programme. So today, we are also launching a 12-week consultation on outcomes of the review.
“This will provide people, businesses and organisations with the opportunity to fully consider the findings from the detailed work that has been undertaken by Transport Scotland.”
