Council To Consider Spending An Extra £1million Capital On Roads

6th March 2017

A paper going to the Council meeting on 9 March will propose a £1 million spend of additional capital monies on roads infrastructure.

The Scottish Government, announced on 2 February 2017, an additional Capital Grant for Highland Council of £2.046 million for 2017/18 and a paper to council will ask members to consider whether to allocate £1 million of this to roads.

The 2017 Strategic Timber Transport Fund (STTF), managed by Forestry Commission Scotland, is to offer £7.85 million nationally of co-funding support to projects that strengthen public roads and reduce disruption by timber haulage. Highland Council is well placed to attract this match funding and would make every effort to secure this potential additional investment.

The Council approved an additional £24.520 million in December 2015 for roads, bridges and piers to be included in the Capital Plan, together with an additional provision of £1.6 million for minor flood works over 10 years.

Budget Leader Councillor Bill Fernie said: "We have already committed a significant amount of capital investment into our road infrastructure over the next few years and this is an opportunity to add to that investment and attract additional match funding. The Independent administration group had as one of its priorities to recognise the mounting anger at the state of our roads and we hope that all councillors will support this use of the latest increased capital grant from Scottish Government. We have the opportunity to bring in additional forestry money to repair some of our side roads and we should take full advantage of this chance."

Councillor Allan Henderson, Chair of Community Services Committee added: "We have nearly 7,000 km of roads in the Highlands and this network is vital to our rural communities and lifeline services. Every penny invested in maintaining this critical network also helps to support our tourism and business economy as well as improve connectivity for everyone in the Highlands. "

It is proposed that the £1m additional funding be split into 2 equal lots and invested as follows:-

• Lot 1 - £500,000 - Strategic Timber Transport Schemes (STTS), which in turn could lever up to 70% additional external funding;

• Lot 2 - £500,000 for investment in large resurfacing schemes on the strategic road network.

Lot 1 Proposals levering in up to 70%of SSTS Funds

1

Caithness

Broubster - Shebster Road

2

Sutherland

B871 Kinbrace - Syre Road

3

Sutherland

Kincardine hill Road, Ardgay

4

Ross & Cromarty

Achilty and Strathconon Road

5

Skye & Lochalsh

Drynoch, Carbost & Eynort Roads

6

Skye & Lochalsh

Ratagan - Letterfearn Road

7

Inverness

South Loch Ness Roads

8

Badenoch & Strathspey

B970 Feshiebridge Road

9

Nairn

B9090 Whitebridge

10

Lochaber

Glen Etive Road

11

Lochaber

Invasion Bay, Loch Sunart

Lot 2 - Structural Maintenance Prioirty Schemes

Caith

£53,037

A836 Reay, B874 Thurso, B9159 Wick

Suth

£86,941

A838 Lairg, A894 Duartmore

R&C

£112,708

A832 Braemore to Dundonnell

Inv

£81,208

B862 Leys to Inverarnie

Nairn

£17,023

B9090 Cawdor to Whitebridge

B&S

£29,637

A938 Badengorm, B970 Nethybridge

Loch

£60,980

Pier Road, Kilchoan

Skye

£58,444

A850 Edinbane

The decision will be taken at the Highland council meeting on 9th March 2017.

See agenda and papers at http://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/3826/highland_council

The roads paper is the last agenda item.