Extra £15m for Scottish roads maintenance

An extra £15 million is to be provided by the Scottish government to bolster maintenance on 25 routes as part of the Programme for Government scheme.

The spending will see work carried out at more than 50 locations on trunk roads including the A82, A90, M8 and A77 in this financial year.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Scotland’s trunk roads are one of our largest assets and they are fundamental to our economy, supporting our key industries.

“The Scottish Government has invested more than £6.5bn in the network since 2007 and we are proceeding with major projects like the dualling of the A9 and A96.

“And while our trunk routes remain in overall good condition, it is clear that extra investment could make further improvements.

“{We have allocated this additional funding to allow the work to go ahead in this financial year and around fifty extra maintenance projects are being carried out.

“Careful thought has been given about how to get the most out of this new funding and it is being used on projects that will help prolong the life of the network. Our operating companies are making the repairs in addition to the work they already have planned for this year.”

The work will include additional resurfacing to address wear and tear to address potholes and reduce the need for more expensive and disruptive subsequent major maintenance.

Bridge work will also benefit including repairs to deck of the approach spans on the Kincardine Bridge, while parapets repaired on a number of smaller bridges.