More than £500k set aside to upgrade rural roads around Nairn
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More than £500,000 has been earmarked for road improvements in rural Nairnshire to assist with timber extraction operations in the next financial year.
A report setting out prioritised areas for improvements has been published by Highland Council.
Councillors have approved a range of projects including 500m of road widening on the B9090 between Hedges Brae and Howford at a cost of £250,000 and surface improvements on a 3km stretch of road between Rehaurie-Tomloan-Urchany-Cawdor road at a cost of £315,000.
Local authority officials say these two projects are subject to external funding bids and have yet to be confirmed.
A further £250,000 is to be spent on another 10 structural road improvements including surface dressing and overlay works.
The council’s Nairnshire committee chairman Tom Heggie welcomed the investment plans.
"Some of the improvements around Cawdor are due to the diligence of the Cawdor and West Nairnshire Community Council and their communication with the Highland Council’s officials and elected members," he said.
"They have also succeeded in getting speeding issues addressed with new signage in the area."
Cllr Heggie added: "Councillor Liz Macdonald raised concerns about footways around housing schemes in the town, and this will be looked at by officials and works implemented if we find any slippage in the budgets."
Some of the improvement works include a stretch of Granny Barbours Road (£13,000); 3km on the Lethen-Easter Clune Brae-Tomnagee road (£33,600); Fornighty Farm to Kronyhillock (£34,650); Easter Clune Road (£59,760); and Daless to Drynachan Road (£43,750).
Nearly £20,000 is also to be spent on improvements to Westbury Road in Nairn.
Related story: Nairn timber firm expansion welcome news for the Highlands
