A9 Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing

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Overview

The 8.4km section of the A9 from Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing is being upgraded to dual carriageway as part of a wider programme to improve the A9 between Perth and Inverness.

The preferred route has been identified, and the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Stage 3 design development and assessment is on-going.

View details of the plans for completion of this project.

Impact on travel

Road users may experience some delays during the construction period. On completion, the upgrade should have a positive effect on driver stress levels.

Environmental impact

There is expected to be a negligible or minor impact on local air and noise quality, mainly during the construction period.

The landscape and visual impacts are predicted to be of moderate impact with opportunity for mitigation and planting.

The driver experience will be enhanced with this modern and safer dualled arrangement. Pedestrian, cycle and equestrian access will be maintained and enhanced in some areas.

An extensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be undertaken alongside the DMRB Stage 3 scheme development and assessment, with an EIA Report to be published at the same time as the draft Orders for the proposed scheme.

Scheme Development

Strategic Environmental Assessment

Between 2012 and 2014 Transport Scotland completed a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to inform, at a corridor level, where dualling should take place and some key environmental themes or principles we would follow. The SEA helped inform the division of the programme into a series of projects to help us manage planning issues at a local level.

After the SEA Transport Scotland moved to project level assessment work, set out in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB). This involves a more localised assessment of constraints and opportunities and the production of route options and assessment of their impacts.

DMRB Stage 2 Assessment and the A9 Co-Creative Process

Following initial identification of route options to be considered at DMRB Stage 2, in Autumn 2016 Transport Scotland, in partnership with the Birnam to Ballinluig A9 Community Group, undertook an A9 Co-Creative Process to bring skills, experience and local knowledge to reach a solution with the community. This commenced in January 2018 and concluded in July 2018 with the identification of the Community’s Preferred Route Option.

Following the conclusion of the A9 Co-Creative Process, scoping work identified a number of challenges and concerns regarding the Community’s Preferred Route Option. As a result of the challenges identified, many of which are difficult to mitigate, three additional route options, taking into account the objectives of the community and the A9 Dualling Programme, were developed and assessed alongside the Community’s Preferred Route Option within the DMRB Stage 2 Route Options Comparative Assessment.

The Preferred Route for the Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing section of the A9 Dualling Programme was identified and announced on 20 December 2023, with the DMRB Stage 2 Assessment Report published online.

DMRB Stage 3 Design Development and Assessment

The DMRB Stage 3 design development of the Preferred Route Option and subsequent engineering, environmental, economic and traffic assessment is now underway. An extensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be undertaken alongside the DMRB Stage 3 scheme development and assessment, which will assess the preferred option against a range of topic areas.

Community Engagement Events were held on 21 and 22 August 2024 in Birnam Arts and Conference Centre. An online exhibition and feedback form was also available until 6 October 2024. These events let local communities and road users see the work that had taken place since the preferred route option for the scheme was announced in December 2023, including details on access and side road arrangements, facilities for walkers, wheelers, cyclists and horse-riders, drainage design, and access proposals to Dunkeld and Birnam Railway Station.

Community engagement

Community engagement is at the heart of the design and development of all of our major road projects. As part of that engagement, we regularly hold events to consult with local communities, road users, businesses and individuals as our plans are progressed.

A programme-wide A9 Dualling website featuring more information about the development and construction of the A9 Dualling programme has been launched.

In addition, a StoryMap webpage is regularly updated to provide information and news relating to the Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing project specifically.

You can find details and exhibition material from engagement events below:

Community Engagement Events - August 2024

Community Engagement Events for the A9 Dualling Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing project were held in the Birnam Arts and Conference Centre on 21 and 22 August 2024. An online exhibition was also available from 21 August to 6 October 2024. These events let local communities and road users see the work that had taken place since the preferred route option for the scheme was announced in December 2023, including details on access and side road arrangements, facilities for walkers, wheelers, cyclists and horse-riders, drainage design, and access proposals to Dunkeld and Birnam Railway Station.

Details of the community engagement events:

  • Wednesday 21 August, 11am to 8pm
  • Thursday 22 August, 10am to 6pm

Birnam Arts and Conference Centre, Station Road, Birnam, PH8 0DS

A consultation report has been prepared which provides details of the consultation process, and summarises the key findings and feedback received from the public. The findings of this document will be used, along with other design and assessment work, to inform design and decision making for the Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing section of the A9 Dualling Programme.

Public exhibitions - January 2024

Following the announcement of the Preferred Route Option on 20 December 2023, public exhibitions were held on 29 and 30 January 2024 in Birnam Arts Centre. An online exhibition, which included information on the preferred route option and how it was chosen, was available from 20 December 2023 to 17 March 2024, and invited the public to leave feedback on our plans. A Consultation Report has been prepared which provides details of the consultation process and summarises key findings and feedback received from the public. The findings of this document will be used, along with other design and assessment work, to inform future decision making for the Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing section of the A9 Dualling Programme.

Details of the A9 Dualling Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing Preferred Route public exhibitions:

  • Monday 29 January 2024 11am to 8pm
  • Tuesday 30 January 2024 10am to 6pm

Birnam Arts Centre, Station Road, Birnam, Dunkeld, PH8 0DS

Community Drop In Event - May 2019

Community drop in events were held on 16 and 17 May 2019 in Birnam Arts Centre.

These events provided local communities and road users with an update on the design process, and presented a number of whole route options which were developed from the options shown at the March 2019 community engagement events to be assessed alongside the Community’s Preferred Route Option in the DMRB Stage 2 assessment.

Details of the community drop in events:

  • Thursday 16 May 2019, 11.00am to 9.00pm
  • Friday 17 May 2019, 11.00am to 9.00pm

Birnam Arts Centre, Station Road, Birnam, Dunkeld, PH8 0DS

Community Engagement Event - March 2019

Community Engagement events were held on 26 and 27 March 2019 in Birnam Arts Centre.

These events let local communities and road users see the work that had taken place since the co-creative process identified the Community’s Preferred Route Option.

As part of that work, the various elements of the community option had been examined in consultation with local residents living close to the A9 and key stakeholders.

Details of the community engagement events:

  • Tuesday 26 March 2019, 11.00am to 9.00pm
  • Wednesday 27 March 2019, 11.00am to 9.00pm

Birnam Arts Centre, Station Road, Birnam, Dunkeld, PH8 0DS

January 2016

June 2013, June 2014

Public Exhibitions were also held in June 2013 and June 2014 at various locations along the route. Additionally, since 2013 a number of drop-in sessions were held to offer the community the opportunity to speak to the project team and to raise any points or queries they may have in relation to the Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing scheme.

January/February 2012

We hosted an exhibition in January/February 2012 to give everybody the opportunity to see potential route options.

The exhibition boards are available in two parts:

See also the scheme leaflet.

Co-creative process

In 2017, a partnership between Transport Scotland and the Birnam to Ballinluig A9 Community Group initiated a co-creative process to identify the community’s preferred route. The process was open to everyone, and the community group has been involved in each stage.

From January 2018, through a five stage co-creative process the community, including children and young people, suggested ideas for the A9 dualling and associated infrastructure, and the most popular of these ideas, as voted for by the community, were used to create a short-list of four ‘Whole Route Options’. In the final stage, Stage 5, members of the public were invited to rank the four short-listed routes in order of preference and to vote for one of three related junction options at Birnam/Murthly Castle. 

The four whole route options selected for the final voting were:

  • three ‘online’ routes (Routes A, B and D) which would follow the line of the existing A9 (but partly at lower level involving a cut and cover tunnel or underpass) with junctions at Dunkeld, Dalguise and the Hermitage, and the retention of the Dunkeld & Birnam railway station
  • one ‘offline’ route (Route C) which consisted of a 2.8km tunnel to the west of the existing A9 with junctions at Dalguise and the Hermitage, and the retention of the Dunkeld & Birnam station.

The online options had varying lengths of tunnel with Route A incorporating a 1.5km tunnel, Route B a 450m tunnel and Route D an underpass of up to 150m.

To complete the whole route, three options for junctions at the Birnam and Murthly Castle end of this section were also offered:

  • a restricted movement grade-separated junction at Birnam
  • a full movement grade-separated junction adjacent to the current access at Murthly Castle
  • or a roundabout at Birnam.

Over the voting period, between 23 June and 2 July 2018, 720 people voted online or submitted voting cards. Voting was open to the public and the number of votes received represented a very strong turnout relative to the size of the community. The rankings were aggregated into total scores for each of the four short-listed routes to determine the preferred route.

Voting results

The online route (Route A) incorporating a 1.5km tunnel commencing in the area of the existing junction of the A9 with the B867 and Perth Road at Birnam and terminating in the area of the existing junction with the A923 and A822 at Little Dunkeld (See diagram, below) came out on top with the highest score, attracting 37.4% of the total of all scores across the four routes and also attracting 45% of the first place votes recorded.

Routes B, C and D attracted 23%, 22.3% and 17.3% of the total of all scores respectively. The full voting figures and scores can be found in the Stage 5 Ranking Summary Report, link included below.

Route A - Junction 1

To complete the whole route, voters expressed a clear preference to incorporate a full movement grade-separated junction at Murthly Castle, to the south of Birnam, to replace the existing Birnam junction. This option attracted 68% of the votes for junctions compatible with that route.

The community’s preferred route was announced on 13 August 2018. Subsequent scoping work was undertaken on the Community’s Preferred Route Option, which identified a number of challenges. As a result of the challenges identified, many of which are difficult to mitigate, three additional route options were developed to be considered alongside the Community’s Preferred Route Option within the DMRB Stage 2 assessment. The design for each route option was developed by Transport Scotland to the same level of detail as is required for all major trunk road projects, to allow the Scottish Ministers to make an informed decision with the confidence that it can be delivered successfully through the planning process. More detailed information about key aspects such as buildability, noise and other environmental impacts, traffic and economic impacts were investigated to ensure a robust and deliverable design was identified. During this period Transport Scotland consulted with stakeholders and people who may be directly affected by the community’s preferred option.

Stage 5 ranking summary report, factsheets and plans

Stage 5 - Drive through visualisations

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