Plea for north A9 upgrade after spate of road accidents

In the wake of a string of accidents and incidents on northern stretches of the A9, there have been calls for a wider focus upon road safety on the road.

The Berriedale Braes part of the A9 at Caithness known locally as an accident blackspot has faced several closures and now the Scottish Chambers of Commerce is asking the Scottish Government to bring forward plans to invest in this part of the road.

Chief executive Liz Cameron believes the problems are having a catastrophic impact upon the north of Scotland economy.

She said: “The adverse economic effects of these road closures and detours on businesses in Caithness are significant, but with the required investment to upgrade this part of the A9 estimated at approximately £2.5m a fraction of the overall £3bn set aside for the A9 upgrade programme south of Inverness this economic disruption could be substantially reduced at a relatively low cost to the taxpayer.”