Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has supported the Scottish Conservatives' proposals to introduce emergency legislation to complete the dualling of the A9.
The law, which would be tabled after next year's Scottish Parliament's elections, would establish a new procurement process for contractors and expedite regulatory processes currently causing delays.
Mr Halcro Johnston said:
“The SNP has utterly failed to deliver on their promises to communities along the A9 and those who use the road; those with most experience of just how dangerous the road can be and how important it is to get it dualled.
“Far too many lives have been lost already, and communities deserve better than the endless cycle of SNP promise after promise followed by SNP delay after delay.
"Parliament needs to get serious about dualling the A9 and it is clear that the SNP won't deliver that.
"This vital work needs to be completed at a vastly expediated pace, not after at least another decade of SNP prevarication and inaction, with more lives lost and families left mourning loved ones.
"As one of the MSPs who, along with my Scottish Conservative colleague Murdo Fraser MSP, launched the original Dual the A9 campaign back in 2006, I fully support these new proposals from my party to introduce emergency legislation.
"That would significantly speed up the dualling process, with the aim of delivering a dualled A9 by the end of the next term of the Scottish Parliament, 4 years ahead of the SNP's already 10 year delayed target.
“While the SNP have failed, we're determined to deliver the dualled A9 that the Scottish Conservatives have campaigned so long for and which local communities deserve".
