The A9 Central section lies entirely within the Cairngorms National Park, which is the largest national park in the UK, and the route passes through Drumochter Summit which, at a height of 1,516 feet (462 metres) is the highest point on the A9 between Perth and Inverness.
Communities on this section of the route include Killiecrankie, Blair Atholl, Calvine and Dalwhinnie.
The A9 Dualling Central section of the A9 corridor requires 42.5km of dualling to be carried out. This section consists of three projects:
Subject to completion of statutory processes and further decision making in late 2025, it is expected that the three central projects will be undertaken using a Mutual Investment Model (MIM) contract. This contract will also include operation and maintenance of the road between Killiecrankie and Crubenmore for around 30 years following completion of construction works. The remaining statutory processes required for these projects are publication of made Orders for Killiecrankie to Glen Garry and completion of land acquisition, further details of which can be found on Transport Scotland’s website.
Procurement of this MIM contract is expected to commence in Winter 2028/29, with contract award in Autumn 2030 and dualling becoming operational by the end of 2035.