SCOTLAND’S crumbling roads network is to receive an extra
£30 million over the next 12 months in a bid to speed up a maintenance backlog.
Government officials said the maintenance budget for Scotland’s trunk roads will increase from £165m last year to around £199m from April.
The money will go towards safety work, inspection and bridge maintenance, with additional repairs to road surfaces to address potholes and other defects.
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The announcement follows a report released by Audit Scotland in August last year which highlighted “major concerns” about the integrity of the country’s road network.
The public spending watchdog said that in 2014/15 more than one-quarter of the motorway network was defective, compared to one-fifth in 2011/12.
The report also found that Transport Scotland had spent £24m less on structural maintenance in 2014/15 “than it considers necessary to keep trunk road condition at its current levels”.
It previously warned that both Scottish councils and Transport Scotland were underspending on roads maintenance by tens of millions of pounds a year and drivers would face worsening conditions in the future unless action was taken.
Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said: “The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the trunk road network remains safe and
efficient to support our economy.
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“This additional investment in trunk-road maintenance helps us realise our strategic aims and brings economic benefits.”
The funding will also include resurfacing and waterproofing on the Kincardine Bridge, refurbishment of spans on the Cromarty Bridge and cable inspections on the Forth Road Bridge.
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