THE SNP Government yesterday (Tuesday) gave a broad timetable for the dualling of the A9 between Inverness and Perth.
Ministers have scheduled the work to be completed by 2025 which is not too far away given the huge scale of the task in hand.
However, as the old saying goes a week is a long time in politics – never mind 14 years.
Governments come and go, the economy has good and bad times and road improvement programmes, as we only know too well in Badenoch and Strathspey, have a habit of slipping.
Whilst this first ever commitment by a Scottish government to dualling the complete section of the A9 Inverness-Perth road is to be welcomed, Ministers need to follow this up with detail.
They need to lay out a proper timetable for when and where the works will take place on sections of the notorious road.
The Scottish Government has already delivered several local A9 projects set out by previous Labour-Lib Dem administrations including those at Meadowside, Nuide and Crubenmore.
But those that still remain have now been overtaken by this announcement.
SNP Ministers can show they mean real business by scrapping the delayed two plus one schemes still in the pipeline south of the Slochd Summit and between Dalraddy and Kincraig and get them dualled instead ASAP.
There was no stopping Daring Dorothy!
A FOND farewell to the strath’s oldest resident Dorothy Vardy who passed away on Monday at her home at Grant House in Grantown.
Every early July for the past six years we have looked forward to hearing what exploits she is up to in celebration of her birthday.
There had been mention that she would go kayaking on Lochindorb this summer to mark the start of her 108th year.
Her family deemed that she was too frail this time but that Dorothy herself had been very keen – and we know given her zest for life that she was not kidding!
