NORTH of Forres, south of Elgin and north of Fochabers – the route the dual carriageway will take through Moray has been announced. Transport Scotland made its preferred option public on Tuesday and people have until January 31 to make comments. Although the chosen route is not yet set in stone, it has been made clear that the dual carriageway will follow this general path. Amongst the consequences is a new wider bridge which will be built at Fochabers, and new junctions both to the west and east of the village. In addition, two new junctions will be built either side of both towns, with Elgin also getting a third in the south. Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Michael Matheson, stated that the announcement marked a milestone in the Scottish government’s plans todual the whole of the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen by 2030, delivering around 88 miles of upgraded road. He said: “As part of that programme, we have been taking forward the route option assessment work for dualling the 28-mile section between Hardmuir and Fochabers and we are now able to let the public see the preferred option for this scheme. “The preferred option will provide better transport connections in Moray and bring relief to communities currently affected by through traffic.” Mr Matheson added that it would also save over 20 minutes for road users travelling
across Moray. In addition to the seven junctions and the bridge over the Spey, the route also includes new crossings over the Lossie and Spey and five crossings over the Aberdeen to Inverness railway line. Large sections of the road will be built on embankments to protect it from flooding, while about 30 drainage basins will also be dug alongside the route in order to collect excess water. The public has been urged to get in touch to discuss issues such as noise barriers. To have your say, email a96dualling@transport.gov. scot or telephone 01309 250380