A consultation has begun into what members of the public want to see from upgrades to the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness.
The plan to dual the whole of the route was announced in December 2011. However, after the SNP and Scottish Greens agreed a power-sharing arrangement last year, a review was launched to investigate how that fitted with efforts to tackle climate change.
An online consultation is seeking views on existing issues along the A96 corridor, and the kind of opportunities that could be realised in the future.
Transport Scotland said it is seeking a better understanding of how the A96 corridor is used, particularly given the changes to everyone’s lives due to Covid-19 pandemic, and the extent to which the climate emergency makes a difference to how people travel on the A96 in the future.
Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “We remain committed to delivering improvements along the A96 corridor.
“The current plan is to fully dual the route between Inverness and Aberdeen. However, we have agreed to conduct a transparent, evidence-based review of the A96 Dualling Programme including a climate compatibility assessment. That is sensible good governance for major investment of that level.
“This public consultation starting today is an essential part of our review of the A96.
“The views of residents, stakeholders and businesses will help us to consider the impact of the climate emergency, Covid-19 and other changes to travel patterns when planning improvements to journeys along the route.
“We want to hear from communities and stakeholders throughout the A96 corridor so that we can take this into account alongside other technical reports when identifying options for improvements on the route. I’d like to encourage people with an interest to take part.”