Ministers say cash secured for short-term dualling to Nairn
The UK Government’s transport minister has confirmed that money is in place to proceed with the dualling of the A96 between Inverness and Nairn, including construction of the Nairn bypass, with ministers framing the work as essential to tackling a road that regularly suffers closures and serious incidents.
Stephen Flynn, the transport secretary, made the announcement during a visit to the West Fraser plant near Dalcross — the former Norbord site commonly known locally as the Cloud factory. He said the A96 is a route he uses regularly and described the pressure placed on communities when incidents bring the road to a halt.
“The A96 obviously is a road that I'm very familiar with – it's how I get from Aberdeen up here and I know how important it is for the local communities on the A96 that they may get to a point where they don't have a trunk road going right through the heart of each and every settlement on the way.”
He added: “We know that there's money in place to make sure that we've got the dualling to Nairn, we will get the bypass done.” The minister said he wanted to avoid making an empty promise and stressed the government would set out how it intends to deliver further improvements during the next parliamentary term.
Safety, congestion and local communities
The minister cited frequent closures caused by accidents and poor weather as a key reason for the investment, saying: “There’s far too many terrible incidents that occur on that road because of various weather conditions and so on and driving incidents.” For many residents of Inverness and the surrounding towns, the A96 is a lifeline for commuting, business and logistics; prolonged closures can affect travel times, local economies and emergency access.
Local references to the dualling project have been in circulation for some time. Former transport secretary Fiona Hyslop revealed in May last year that work was expected to begin in the 2029/30 financial year — a timescale that remains the clearest published marker for major construction start dates on the corridor.
- Project confirmed: Dualling Inverness–Nairn and delivery of Nairn bypass
- Ministerial view: A96 is prone to incidents and closures; investment needed for safety and resilience
- Timeline reference: Previous indication of work beginning in 2029/30
What the announcement means locally
For Inverness residents, the confirmation that funding is available to at least complete dualling to Nairn and to deliver the bypass offers a tangible prospect of reduced through-traffic in settlements, shorter journey times and fewer full-route closures when incidents occur. It may also influence business planning and logistics for manufacturers and employers operating around Dalcross and the broader A96 corridor.
That said, the minister was careful to stress the need for clear delivery plans. He said the next parliamentary term would see the government set out how it would go further beyond the current commitments, while emphasising he did not wish to offer an "empty promise" without the funding and mechanisms to deliver.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dualling | Inverness to Nairn — funding confirmed |
| Nairn bypass | Included in funding commitment |
| Construction start (previous indication) | 2029/30 |
Transport projects of this scale interact with a range of local concerns, including environmental impact, planning consents and community consultation. While the announcement focuses on funding availability and ministerial intent, further detail will be required on route options, timings, procurement and the approach to mitigation measures during construction.
For now, the message from Westminster is a clear one: money has been earmarked to remove the single-carriageway bottleneck between Inverness and Nairn and to install a bypass for Nairn, with ministers portraying the work as necessary to prevent the recurrent, often serious incidents that blight the route.
Residents and businesses along the A96 will be expecting to see the next stages of planning and delivery set out by ministers and agencies responsible for trunk roads in Scotland, and for local authorities and communities to be involved as detailed proposals are developed.
This confirmation brings the long-standing debate about the A96’s future into sharper relief for Inverness — and it sets a timetable against which campaigners, councils and drivers will measure progress in the coming years.
