Cross Tay Link Road
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The Cross Tay Link Road is a road in
Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...
, Scotland. It links the A93 and A94 roads, near
Scone A scone ( or ) is a traditional British and Irish baked good, popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is usually made of either wheat flour or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans. A scone is often ...
, to the A9 north of the Inveralmond Roundabout, at
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, via a stretch of road, long. It includes the three-span Destiny Bridge over Scotland's longest river, the Tay, hence the road's name. A cycle path runs parallel to the bridge's carriageway. The project, which was expected to cost £118 million, was the second phase of the Perth Transport Futures Project, which was formed to "address the key issues identified in the Perth Traffic and Transport Issues Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance".
Perth & Kinross Council Perth and Kinross Council () is the local authority for Perth and Kinross, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. The council has been under no overall control since 1999. It is based in Perth. History A district called Perth and Kinross was ...
(PKC) stated that the project would "unlock key development land". The road opened in March 2025.


Study

A 2010 study predicted that traffic increases would exceed Perth's capacity, while also highlighting physical limitations caused by local geography (such as
Kinnoull Hill Kinnoull Hill is a hill located partly in Perth and partly in Kinfauns, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It shares its name with the nearby Kinnoull parish. Summit In view from the -high south-facing summit is the Friarton Bridge, a stretch of the ...
and the
River Tay The River Tay (, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing' David Ross, ''Scottish Place-names'', p. 209. Birlinn Ltd., Edinburgh, 2001.) is the longest river in Sc ...
) and existing infrastructure (such as the
Highland Main Line The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the central Scottish Highlands, mainly following the route of the A9 road (Scotland), A9, and linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth, Scotland, ...
railway). An assessment, completed in 2016, selected a corridor to the north of the city that should be taken into consideration for the purpose of traffic remediation. The route was approved at a meeting of
Perth and Kinross Council Perth and Kinross Council () is the local authority for Perth and Kinross, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. The council has been under no overall control since 1999. It is based in Perth. History A district called Perth and Kinross was ...
(PKC) in December 2016. It is the first major road project in the vicinity of Perth since the construction of the
Friarton Bridge The Friarton Bridge is a steel box girder bridge with a concrete deck, across the River Tay on the southeastern outskirts of Perth, Scotland. It is located approximately upstream of the Tay Road Bridge. At the time of its construction it was ...
, which was completed in 1978, and the largest to date.


Objective

According to
Sweco Sweco (originally "Swedish Consultants") is a European engineering consultancy company, active in the fields of consulting engineering, environmental technology and architecture.  Sweco is one of Europe's leading architecture and engineering c ...
, the Swedish engineering consultation company, the project will help reduce traffic congestion in Perth's city centre, particularly on the A989 (the city's Inner Ring Road) and in
Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...
, on the eastern side of the River Tay. It is also expected to promote sustainable travel.


Environmental impact

Sweco acknowledges that the construction methods that are necessary in all facets of the project pose environmental risks. As a result, the construction process will be an important part of the
environmental impact assessment Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental impact, environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the te ...
. Opponents of the project, in particular the residents of Scone, believe it will have a "devastating impact" on the countryside.
Ramblers The Ramblers' Association, branded simply as the Ramblers, is Great Britain's walking charity. The Ramblers is also a membership organisation with around 100,000 members and a network of volunteers who maintain and protect the path network. T ...
and the
Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society The Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society was formed in 1845 as the 'Association for the Protection of Public Rights of Roadway in and around Edinburgh'. By 1885 it had become the 'Scottish Rights of Way and Recreation Society' and traded as th ...
voiced disapproval that several core paths will be closed during the construction process. The
ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...
at the Highfield Plantation Woodland, north of Scone, was given its own "green bridge" to safely cross the new construction. Concern was expressed at the predicted increase in traffic through local villages. Two months after the road's opening, resident complained that, due to poor signage, more
heavy goods vehicles A large goods vehicle (LGV), or heavy goods vehicle (HGV), in the European Union (EU) is any lorry with a gross combination mass (GCM) of over . Sub-category N2 is used for vehicles between 3,500 kg and and N3 for all goods vehicles over ...
than ever were using the road.


Timeline

The proposed start date of the project was late 2021, with an expected completion date of 2024; preparatory work did not begin until late January 2022, however. In June 2022, it was announced that a speed limit would be in place on a four-mile stretch of the A9 for eighteen months. A further increase in costs was approved by PKC councillors in September 2022.
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
-based
BAM Nuttall BAM Nuttall Limited (formerly known as Edmund Nuttall Limited) is a construction and civil engineering company headquartered in Camberley, United Kingdom. It has undertaken road, rail, nuclear, and other major projects worldwide. It is a subsidia ...
were appointed the contractors for the project in 2021.
John Swinney John Ramsay Swinney (born 13 April 1964) is a Scottish politician who has served as First Minister of Scotland, first minister of Scotland since 2024. Swinney has served as Leader of the Scottish National Party, leader of the Scottish National ...
, the local MSP and
First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland () is the head of government of Scotland. The first minister leads the Scottish Government, the Executive (government), executive branch of the devolved government and is th ...
, visited the project site in August 2024; at this time the Destiny Bridge over the Tay was nearing completion. The road opened in March 2025.


References

{{reflist


External links


Perth Transport Futures official website

Aerial view of the Cross Tay Link Road
- Scottish Construction Now Roads in Scotland Transport in Perth and Kinross Transport in Perth, Scotland 2025 establishments in Scotland