PLANS are well underway to transform the region’s crumbling roads after more than £30m in additional funding was dedicated to the major issue over the next five years.
Dumfries and Galloway Council roads chiefs are rubbing their hands at the additional budget cash, which equates to an uplift of 40 percent over this five year period.
Increasing the workforce has been identified as a priority because the roads repairs and maintenance programme is such a huge task.
The council drafted in external advisor Stephen Hall to formulate a plan for using the roads investment monies wisely over the next few years.
And he produced a report, which will be tabled at the council’s communities committee next Tuesday.
It explains how the roads department will benefit from a total increase of £2.5m in the base and revenue budget, commencing in 2024/25, as well as a capital roads improvement fund of £5.15m per year for four years from 2024/25 onwards.
The report reads: “The existing base budget for the roads service currently stands at a little under £14.5m per annum.
“As such, the additional investment represents a very significant uplift in expenditure over the next five years of over 40 percent over the period.”
It is outlined that the funding will be utilised to increase capacity across the roads service to ensure it is “resilient, sustainable and able to operate to sector agreed standards and codes of practice.”
The report continues: “This funding will support an increase in the size of the workforce and thereby enable an increase in responsive maintenance activity, regulatory functions and planned works.”
The additional roads improvement capital fund – which totals £20.6m over four years – will support a significant increase in planned maintenance activity on road carriageways, street-lighting, footways, cycleways, bridges and road drainage.
Mr Hall stresses that changes to the council’s roads service are “thoroughly planned”, that the right repairs are prioritised, and that the specification of repair works provides the best long-term value for money.
Much of this planning work is to lead to a programme of activity that gradually increases in intensity this year and into 2024/25.
This year has been described as critical for “laying the foundations of the major delivery to come in future years.”
It is anticipated that the peak years for delivery of major capital roads works will be 2024/25 to 2026/27.
Seminars have been scheduled with councillors in May and August this year to fully inform them of the development of the roads investment plans, along with a series of visits to roads depots in Annandale and Eskdale, Nithsdale, Stewartry and Wigtown in September.
