Construction companies to bid for A96 Fochabers and Mosstodloch Bypass

A multi-million pound road improvement scheme for the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness has taken an important step closer to delivery.

Transport Scotland has published the tenders for the A96 Fochabers and Mosstodloch Bypass marking the start of the procurement process for this upgrade to a crucial link for businesses and communities in the North East.

Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said:

"The A96 is a key route for Scotland and this multi-million investment will deliver real benefits for communities across the North East. It will improve journey times, reduce congestion in and around Fochabers and Mosstodloch, whilst making an important contribution to road safety.

"This gives a welcome boost to the construction industry and is more good news following the announcement of our Strategic Transport Projects (STPR) review last week. The STPR identified our investment priorities for the north east, including dualling of the A9, key improvements to the A96 and vital enhancements to rail services across the region."

Two companies, RJ McLeod and Morrison Construction , have been identified in the pre-qualification stage and they now have 26 weeks to submit their tender.

On successful completion of the tender process, Transport Scotland expects to appoint a contractor in late summer 2009. Construction work will begin soon after and the scheme will be open in spring 2011. Meanwhile site clearance works will get underway early in the new year.

This stage follows the ground investigations carried out by contractor Ritchies in summer this year on behalf of national transport agency Transport Scotland.

For further information see A96 Fochabers and Mosstodloch Bypass project