Works start Wednesday 13 October for six nights

Overnight surfacing improvements worth £270,000 are set to get underway on a section of the A9 near Blackford next week.

The improvements will address defects in the road surface on the A9 northbound carriageway beyond Blackford, creating a safer and smoother road surface for motorists.

The overnight project is scheduled to begin on Wednesday 13 October and is expected to take six nights to complete. The project will take place between 7.30pm and 6.30am each night with all works due to be completed by 6.30am on Friday 22 October, subject to weather conditions. No works are programmed for Friday, Saturday or Sunday night.

To ensure the safety of roadworkers and motorists, a lane closure with a 10mph convoy system will be in place overnight. The B8081 on-slip at Tullibardine Distillery will also be closed during working hours with traffic being diverted up the B8081 to the nearby on-slip at Highland Spring. All traffic management will be removed during the daytime.

Additional diversions to accommodate the work have also been added. Traffic on A9 South wishing to enter Blackford will be diverted to Queen Victoria Slips (B8033) and back up the A9, while traffic on A9 North wishing to enter A9 South will be diverted to Gleneagles Interchange (A823) and back down the A9.

Consultation has taken place with all relevant stakeholders in advance of the surfacing improvements to make them aware of the traffic management arrangements.

Commenting on the improvements, Ian Stewart, BEAR Scotland’s NorthEast Unit Representative, said: “This £270,000 surfacing project on the A9 near Blackford will upgrade the existing road surface, greatly improving the quality and safety of this section of the route for road users.

“We’ve arranged for the convoy system to be in place over overnight to limit the impact felt by road users, however our teams will do all they can to complete the works as quickly and safely as possible.

“We thank motorists for their patience in advance and would also encourage them to plan ahead before setting out by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up to date travel information.”

Real time journey planning information is available from Traffic Scotland on www.trafficscotland.org or twitter @trafficscotland.

Materials removed from the existing carriageway will be recycled using SEPA approved methods.