Dave Thompson MSP

I am delighted that the first section of the Scottish Government’s £3billion A9 dualling project between Kincraig and Dalraddy is scheduled to start six months early, with the first spade work in around 9 to 10 months once the contractor has been chosen. This comes out of the competent management by the SNP Scottish Government of the huge Queensferry  project building the third bridge over the Forth which is now projected to come in under budget. The savings from this have advanced the A9 work here in Badenoch and I hope for more good news of this ilk in the next few months.

There are 12 sections of dualling in the whole of the A9 project and several of these are currently in planning now with building work scheduled to start on another in 2016 and a further in 2017, so I expect there will be more announcements over the next few months.

The A9 is arguably Scotland’s most important road and the 112 miles between Perth and Inverness still has 80miles of single carriageway that needs to be upgraded to dual so it is a massive civil engineering project. But apart from the obvious utility to the folk using the road the economic benefit to the whole of the Highlands and Islands of this work has been calculated as being worth over £1billion per annum once it is complete.

The SNP are the first and only Party to commit to such an ambitious project to benefit the Highlands and Islands. So I hope and expect that, just as our Badenoch section has been advanced, whenever possible further funds will be directed towards advancing the other sections of impending A9 dual carriageway construction.

And of course the work will not just help motorists as there will also be a state of the art People-way constructed in parallel that will mean pedestrians, cyclists, horse-riders and folk using mobility vehicles will benefit too.

The lead up to the referendum on September 18 is set to be very busy. I will be putting the case for Scottish independence at numerous events throughout the Highlands, including at Kingussie High on the 29th of August at 1.00pm and then again at a venue yet to be finalised in Badenoch on the 3rd of September (specific details to be confirmed).

The feedback from our “Yes” volunteers is that the independence campaign is engaging and energising the general public like never before. This is particularly true in Strathspey and Badenoch where sterling work is being done, not least in producing an excellent Badenoch and Strathspey Yes Newspaper of their own. Not surprising then that more and more folk are intimating they intend to vote in favour of Scottish independence as well as actively encouraging their friends and family to do so too.

Many folk are volunteering in earnest when they have never volunteered before, serving as an insight into just how much support the yes campaign has gained in recent months and I fully expect that momentum to continue right up to the big day on September 18.