Bear Scotland and Amey will take over responsibility for the maintenance of 1,164km of trunk roads in the east of Scotland from today (16 August 2014).The fourth generation contracts will see Bear Scotland continue responsibility for overseeing 613km of trunk roads in the north-east. Amey takes over the south-east area which covers 551km. The contracts will run for six years with the option to extend for a further two.Both companies will now be responsible for inspecting the trunk roads in their units to ensure the routes remain safe and well maintained. In addition to major road and bridge maintenance work, they will carry out salting and snow clearing as well as gully cleaning and the repair of motorway lighting and traffic signals.Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "Our trunk roads allow the transport of goods and services the length and breadth of the country and it is essential that they are kept in the best condition possible to allow our economy to develop in years to come.“The maintenance of the network represents a significant investment for the Scottish Government, with £204* million committed in the last year. These contracts will encourage the operating companies to deliver the innovative services that we need to make the most of this financial commitment.“Both Bear Scotland and Amey put forward strong tenders and we are confident they can build on their previous experience to deliver a top quality service for people and businesses across Scotland.”Brian Gordon, managing director of Bear Scotland, said: “We are delighted to continue looking after the key strategic roads in the north east of Scotland.“We are committed to ensuring we continue to deliver the high level of service required for the people and organisations that rely on the connections offered by these roads for years to come and will be investing over £6m over the next year in a new vehicle fleet to cover the area.”Amey’s director for Scotland, Gordon Allan, added: “Following a summer of intense activity in preparation for going live our depots, fleet and teams are ready for us to begin managing and maintaining the 551km of road that make up the south east network.“We very much look forward to working with and supporting communities across the south east and to providing a safe and reliable network for road users, on behalf of Transport Scotland.”* Maintenance specific expenditure includes network strengthening, structural repairs, routine and winter maintenance and PFI budget lines.