Humza Yousaf was met with outrage after he again failed to answer when the A9 will be dualled despite warnings upgrades to the route are “vital” for Perthshire.
The SNP leader said his party remains committed to widening the road between Perth and Inverness following publication of his programme for government.
He told MSPs work is ongoing to find a contractor who can dual a vital section of the route in the north of Scotland.
The first minister said: “Let me be crystal clear Presiding Officer: this government, my government, will dual the A9 from Inverness to Perth.”
But he faced a backlash from political rivals and fed-up campaigners after he was unable to give a firm time commitment for the project’s completion.
The initial schedule to finish the upgrades on the 80-mile stretch linking Perthshire and the Highlands by 2025 was pushed back earlier this year.
Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Tories, pushed Mr Yousaf to confirm a fresh date but was met with silence.
The Conservative MSP said: “This is a crucial infrastructure project that is absolutely vital for Perthshire and the Highlands of Scotland. Indeed for connectivity across our country.
“We had the highest death rate on that road last year in 20 years and the first minister can’t say when his promise will be delivered.”
Dundee MSP Michael Marra said: “This programme is padded out with rehashed policies across many portfolios but the dualling of the A9 has been announced almost as many times as it has been delayed.
“Without a timeframe it is as good as meaningless. People who live along the route are most affected but we all have an interest in making this happen.”
‘Trust has gone’
Campaigner Laura Hansler, from the A9 Dual Action group, hit out at the government’s failure to deliver on the project, saying “trust has gone”.
She added: “The only way to gain any tangible levels of trust now between government and the electorate is to publish a full timetable of each of the remaining nine sections, and be realistic about where they seek to fund this.”
SNP MSP Fergus Ewing, who has been a vocal critic of his party’s failure to deliver on the upgrades, previously urged Mr Yousaf to bring forward a promised autumn update on the timeline to summer.
Now, given that has not taken place, he is calling on the Scottish Government to make that detailed statement before the October recess.
The SNP backbencher said: “The first minister repeated positive noises on the A9 dualling.
“However without the full detail people will not be persuaded given the previous broken promises to dual these roads by 2025 and 2030 respectively.”
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