|
Ballinluig Junction Official Opening
Parliamentarians and dignitaries attended the official opening of the £15M upgrade at the Ballinluig Junction to mark the end of construction of this vital upgrade of the A9 at Ballinluig, where a fly-over junction has been built to replace the right-turns across the on-coming carriageway.
MP Pete Wishart recalled: “One of the first duties when I was elected was to chair the meeting in the Mid Atholl and Grandtully Hall in Ballinluig, following the tragic death of five Israelis tourists at this junction.
“Therefore the opening of this new junction is fantastic news for the people of Perth and North Perthshire and every single driver and passenger who uses the A9. My colleague John Swinney MSP and I have worked with local residents for some time for the upgrading of this junction and despite numerous delays it is finally a reality under an SNP Scottish Government.
Vast Improvement
“This part of the A9 has long been a notorious accident black-spot and any moves that deliver significant safety benefits are to be welcomed. The construction of a new fly-over will go a long way to alleviate the hazardous nature of turning right at Ballinluig.
“The safety and efficiency of the A9 is so vital for our constituency’s success and its role in tourism, business, agriculture and connecting communties is unparalleled. I am delighted that this investment was secured by the Scottish Government for the people of Perth and North Perhshire”.
Tory MSP Murdo Fraser remarked: “It is an excellent day for Perthshire and road users of the A9 with the opening of the new and improved Ballinluig junction. The improvements that have been made to the junction have vastly improved it and I am sure that we will see fewer accidents at this once danger junction.
Praise for Local Community
“I give my thanks to the local community and campaigners for their hard work and continued pressure for a number of years to see these improvements. Their dedication to see major improvements for the Ballinluig junction has made today’s official opening a reality.
“The local community and road users of the A9 have waited patiently for these improvements and have also waited patiently during construction of the upgrade which caused disruption for drivers using the A9. Furthermore, I give my congratulations to the construction team for getting the junction completed on time.
“As we know, the Ballinluig junction upgrade has seen a number of delays and false starts, with the first promise of major improvements to the junction being made by the then Labour/Liberal Democrat Scottish Executive in Spring 2002. We have been waiting a long time to get to this point but it is good to see the improvements to this junction.
"This is not the end and there are other junctions along the A9 that must see major improvements and I will continue to put pressure on the Scottish Government until they are carried out and road safety is improved on this road.”
|
