Having reached the end of the objection road, this is a good place to look back on  how we got here.
 
The upgrade of the A9 road between Perth and Inverness to full dual carriageway is a political decision.  The project received ministerial commitment in December 2011. Some of the road was originally built as dual carriageway but there are 11 separate sections, stretching 81 miles, still to be upgraded.  Once done, the entire Perth to Inverness road will be dual carriageway – albeit with two different standards of road.  
 
So far, 2 sections have been completed.  They are Kincraig to Dalraddy and Luncarty to Pass of Birnam.  Combined they account for under 11 miles.   In comparison, Killiecrankie is part of a large section that runs over 13 miles from the battlefield to Glen Garry.
 
Unsurprisingly, it was the 2 miles of road that already bisects the Killiecrankie battlefield that has caused the most turmoil of the entire scheme, attracting a total of 183 objections when Transport Scotland published its draft Orders.  This is the only battlefield on the route of the A9 and the first time that Transport Scotland had to blend the Inventory of Historic Battlefields into the planning process.
 
The Covid epidemic, new initiatives to counter climate change, the Bute House Agreement and the squeeze on public finances have conspired to delay, obstruct or complicate not just the Killiecrankie to Glen Garry section but the whole project.  It has taken this section 5 years to get from publication of the draft Orders to the Ministers’ decision to accept them.
 
Now that they have given the go-ahead, the plan for the battlefield cannot be changed.  Transport Scotland says that any modifications would risk frustration of this proposed scheme and in turn the A9 dualling programme as a whole. 
 
Even if HES altered the Inventory and listed the core area of the battlefield as an area of high value, worthy of special protection, it would be too late to affect Transport Scotland’s plans.  There would be no requirement to re-assess the impact on the battlefield.
 
The Reporter says that based on Ministers’ decision on other stretches of proposed A9 dualling, that the Scottish Government remains committed to the dualling of the A9.   Ministers, however, have long abandoned mention of the original completion date of 2025.