Deterioration of roads in Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh ward area of Highland Council 'a growing risk to public', report admits

DETERIORATION of the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh road network with a “corresponding risk to the travelling public” will continue so long as investment across Highland falls short of requirements, a report admits.

Highland Council’s Wester Ross, Strathpeffer, Lochalsh Committee Committee will decide on whether to approve the current capital programme planned despite it stating that locals can expect surfaces to deteriorate further over the next 12 months.

The news is likely to receive a chilly welcome from locals who have grown more and more vocal over the state of the roads as the cash-strapped council has refused to meet even the minimum requirements of the so-called steady state.

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The steady state level of funding would maintain the network so that over the next 12 months it gets neither better nor worse than last year – but for a number of years even this investment has been forthcoming.

Nor is that likely to change with the council’s finances more pinched than at almost any other time due to the collective impact of rocketing energy prices, the cost of living crisis and a Scottish Government budget that it is feared will trigger steep cuts.

Iain Moncrieff, roads operations manager for Ross and Cromarty, said: “The level of investment across Highland falls short of the budget requirements to maintain a steady state condition of the road network. Deterioration of the overall network will occur with a corresponding risk to the travelling public.

“An increase in damage claims can also be expected, as the road defects develop.”

The routes that are most likely to be affected by the deterioration are those in rural Caithness which are used less but which are still vital arteries for many households.

According to Mr Moncrieff: “Noting that funding falls short of addressing all of the known defects, low volume and rural routes may be disadvantaged as prioritisation of limited funding dictates.”

Taking into account £10 million of region wide investment, as well as the baseline contribution from the capital budget and the specific ward allocation more than £2.3 million will go on Caithness roads this year.

The top priority roads to be done are:

• The A890 at Auchtertyre from the dam for almost three kilometres
• The A896 at the Torridon Hotel going south for 11 kilometres
• The A835 Drumrunnie for 3.3 kilometres
• The A890 Stromeferry viewpoint East for two kilometres
• The U4936 Bundalloch to Dornie 1, 2 and 3 totalling 808 metres
• The A896 Torridon to Kinlochewe for five kilometres
• The U3119 Tarvie Township Road for 587 metres
• The U3393 Rhue Road for 653 metres
• The C1232 Kyle section 2 and 3 for 401 metres

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