Phase 1 of the Perth Transport Futures Project was completed in May 2019.  The road opened 4 months ahead of the original schedule and provides a new link road from the A85 Crieff Road across the A9 dual carriageway and River Almond into Bertha Park as well as an improved A9/A85 junction. The link road provides the required access to the new Bertha Park secondary school which opened in August 2019. It will also provides immediate benefits for access to and from the Industrial Estate and at Inveralmond Roundabout. The scheme delivered a number of measures and improvements for pedestrians and cyclists. These include a shared use cycle/footway over the whole length of the new link road, a much needed new footbridge over the A9 dual carriageway to the industrial estate, the creation of a path adjacent to the diverted Lade and Toucan facilities at all new traffic signal junctions. Additionally, an overflow car park was provided at the Crematorium to assist with the management of Crematorium traffic.

Benefits

There are a number of significant benefits arising directly from Phase 1, with the main one being that it provides the vital first link in the Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR). The benefits include:

• The grade separated junction and link road, allowing better flow of local and through traffic and easier connections to Inveralmond

• Pressure relieved on Inveralmond roundabout
• Improved pedestrian and cycle safety over the A9
• Expansion of Perth as envisaged by the Local Development Plan
• Opening up of development land for both housing and extension of the industrial estate
• Increased network capacity and improved flow on the A85

Click here for general arrangement plan

Construction

The construction contract, initially valued at £35 million, was awarded to Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd on 26 August 2016. From December 2015 the Council and its designer Jacobs (CH2M) had worked collaboratively with Balfour Beatty through the Scape Civil Engineering and Infrastructure national Framework. Working through this framework enabled the contractor to fully participate in the design and development of the scheme. the teams from Perth & Kinross Council, Balfour Beatty and Jacobs (CH2M) worked collaboratively to fully develop the most cost effective design and reduce the project risk. The project team then used an NEC3 construction contract to ensure that positive collaboration continued throughout the works onsite. This was reflected in the success of the project with the road opening 4 months early, the final cost being brought in within 7% of the initial price (which is very good for a large scale traditional civil engineering contract) and the internationally recognised award of 2019 NEC Contract of the Year.

The project involved the use of some innovative techniques to ensure that it was built as efficiently as possible and with a minimum carbon footprint.  These included the use of lightweight embankment fill (brought directly to Perth Harbour to save on carbon), processing and use of approximately 500,000 cubic metres of surplus material from the adjacent Berth Park development and the diversion of 98% of waste materials away from landfill. The project team also trailed the use of 3D modelling techniques to evaluate the most efficient construction sequences for aspects of the scheme that affected the movement of traffic on the busy A9 dual carriageway.

As well as successfully delivering the roads infrastructure and the associated benefits of this, the project also delivered significant benefit to the local community with a focus on local spend, social value and education initiatives.  Some of the highlights of this were:

• 78% of total spend with SMEs
• 63% of project spend within 40 miles
• 49 weeks of work experience provided
• 21 longer work placements (including 6 for prison leavers and 5 for serving prisoners)
• Engaged with over 2,600 local school pupils and students
• 58 educational events
• 958 local people employed on the project
• 615 days worked by people previously not in work, training or education
• £2.2 million of values added through the local employment and skills programmes

The ‘Social Value Add’ for the construction of the phase 1 has been measured using a recognised standard calculation.  It is estimated that a value of £12.9 million was achieved (£0.42 added per £1 spent). An example of hos this is calculated is that providing pathways to a positive outcome for repeat offenders can save local communities up to £58,611 per annum, per individual, by lifting them from a habitual cycle of re-offending and providing opportunities to work, train and successfully integrate back to their communities.

A brochure detailing many of the community benefit initiatives can be found here.

Achievements