Causeway Geotech has been awarded a £1.1m ground investigation works contract by Transport Scotland as part of the A75 Springholm and Crocketford Improvements project.
The company is expected to start work in March for up to eight weeks.
Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said: ‘The design and assessment work is proceeding at pace to consider options for realigning the A75 trunk road with bypasses of Springholm and Crocketford.
'The villages are the only two settlements along this busy route not to have been bypassed and we are pleased to be taking this work forward to improve the lives of people living, visiting and working in the villages.
'The ground investigation work due to get underway next month will support the assessment work and contribute to the identification of a preferred route option which we expect to confirm in early 2027.'
Identified in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) as important to the Scottish economy, the A75 was recommended to undergo safety, resilience and reliability improvements, including improving junctions, enhancing overtaking opportunities and widening carriageways to alleviate ‘pinch points' along the route.
To support this, Scottish Ministers have been granted funding by the UK Government for a study to 'consider the design and assessment of options' for the realignment of the A75 around Springholm and Crocketford.
In 2024, Transport Scotland appointed technical advisors, Jacobs UK, to undertake design development and assessment works for the improvements scheme, which is expected to involve assessing options for bypasses of Springholm and Crocketford, taking into account road safety, engineering, environment, traffic and economic factors.
