A sharp rise in closures on the A9 has renewed concerns about the vulnerability of transport links in the far north, with communities across Caithness, Sutherland and Ross warning that long-standing issues are still not being taken seriously.
A recent Freedom of Information request has revealed that A9 closures have increased by more than 200% over the past decade, rising from just nine closures in 2016 to a peak of 33 in 2023, with 28 recorded again in 2025.
While the Scottish Government has rejected claims of a “culture of neglect”, many people living and working along the route say the figures reflect a growing lack of resilience in a road that is meant to serve as the region’s main arterial link.
Few dispute that severe weather is an unavoidable reality in the Highlands, but the frequency and scale of recent closures have prompted questions about whether the road network is now struggling with conditions that were once routinely managed.
Local councillors and community campaigners have repeatedly raised concerns about the impact of closures on daily life, pointing to missed hospital appointments, disrupted supply chains, lost income for local businesses and communities feeling increasingly isolated.
Those concerns, many argue, have been voiced for years without sufficient preventative action being taken.
Eva Kestner, Scottish Labour candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said:
“People here understand that bad weather happens, especially in the far north.
“What they don’t understand is why the A9 is now so often unable to cope with it, or why road conditions seem to be getting worse.
“The sharp rise in closures revealed through a recent Freedom of Information request is deeply worrying and reflects years of issues that local councillors and campaigners have been flagging for a long time.
“I also want to recognise the incredible efforts being made right now by everyone on the ground to deal with the current weather conditions.
“Staff and communities are working in extremely challenging circumstances to keep routes open and people safe, and that commitment should never be taken for granted and deserves to be recognised.
“But every closure still has real consequences for people’s lives; missed hospital appointments, disruption to work and local businesses, and communities left feeling cut off.
“The A9 is a lifeline, and it needs to be treated as such.”
For many in the far north, the issue is not about blaming frontline workers or expecting the weather to be controlled, but about whether enough has been done to strengthen infrastructure before disruption occurs.
Repeated closures, they argue, suggest a system that is too often forced into reaction mode, with long-promised improvements offering little reassurance to those dealing with disruption in the here and now.
