Party leaders urged to commit roads investment

ALL party leaders are being urged to commit to delivering improvements to the A75 and A77 if they find themselves in Government. The South West Scotland Transport Alliance (SWSTA) has made its calls in an open letter to the leaders of all six parties contesting May’s Scottish Parliament election. Led by port operators Stena Line, P&O Ferries and Belfast Harbour. The are asking Scottish political parties to make manifesto commitments to:

• Deliver the bypassing of Springholm and Crocketford during the next Parliament, from 2026-2031.
• Guarantee that the Springholm-Crocketford bypass will be built as a dual carriageway, not as a single carriageway, future-proofing the road for continuous improvement.
• Pledge a continuous programme of improvements to the A75 and A77; setting out a timetable for what work will be done and when; guaranteeing that all future improvements will be dual-carriageway, not single-carriageway; and exploring all public and private finance routes to expedite the process.

In its letter, the SWSTA says: “The upcoming Scottish Parliament election offers an opportunity for your parties to invest in the socio-economic future and safety of road users in south west Scotland by delivering on long overdue improvements to the A75 and A77. “We, the partners in the South West Scotland Transport Alliance, encouraged and welcomed the feasibility study into the bypassing of Springholm and Crocketford along the A75, but this is only the beginning, for both roads. “Our Alliance - along with other people and businesses across the region, including the staff we collectively employ and the businesses who use our essential services - need to be certain that there is much more to come, in order that we can plan for our future investment in the region.”