Transport Scotland has unveiled a new plan to ensure the nation's trunk road network ‘remains resilient and reliable in the face of climate change'.

As part of a ‘blueprint' to safeguard Scotland's infrastructure, the Trunk Road Adaptation Plan identifies where the network is currently affected by climate change and how these impacts are expected to evolve.

It also plots out 43 actions over the next five years to prepare the nation's 2,3000-mile-long trunk road network for a changing climate. These include:

  • Prioritising maintenance in locations identified to be most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change
  • Integrating weather forecasting systems for early warning alerts
  • Supporting climate resilience through nature-based solutions like sustainable drainage systems
  • Strengthening bridges and embankments to withstand extreme weather events.

The elements of the plan are split into two broad categories: actions and enablers. Each of these then has three further sub-categories, which outline how each of the 43 actions will be implemented and what the timeframe for each of them is.

Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said: ‘The impacts of climate change on Scotland's transport system are becoming increasingly apparent, with flooding, landslips, scour and storms already placing pressure on the trunk road network all year round.

‘The Trunk Road Adaptation Plan lays out a series of measures which will be developed and implemented to ensure we continue to deliver resilience and reliability for the communities and businesses that depend on the road network.

‘Our trunk roads provide vital connectivity, so safeguarding and future-proofing this critical infrastructure is essential if we are to keep Scotland moving and economically secure.'

The document also contains two case studies demonstrating action that has already been taken on the trunk road.

  1. Case study A focused on four individual sites within the North-West section of the network: A85 Loch Awe, A82 Corran Ferry, A830 Loch Eilt and A830 Rannochan. Here, the largest threat to the road was identified to be rockfall from overhanging cliffs caused by heavy rainfall. To resolve this, Transport Scotland cleared vegetation, scaled loose rock and installed rockfall protection systems.
  2. Case study B looked at a 500-metre stretch of the A90 east of Crimond that was found to lack a formal drainage system. Rainfall would instead drain onto the adjacent verge, resulting in persistent surface water flooding. To resolve this, three separate infiltration systems were installed within the southbound verge to allow rainwater to drain into a nearby field, where a bund made from on-site materials had also been constructed, increasing the water retention capacity of the site.

The full plan can be read here.