Roads investment approved despite dire warnings a lack of funding presents a 'risk to the travelling public' despite £2.2 million set to be spent on the local network
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Inverness and area councillors have agreed the road investment programme for the year as officers warn of the lack of investment could potentially lead to risky driving conditions.
A paper to the Inverness Area Committee spoke of the deterioration of the road network is such that it presents a risk to the travelling public which will continue as long as investment falls short of what is needed.
The assessment is perhaps the frankest yet to emerge from Highland Council and states that the level of funding has failed to keep pace with the repair work needed to maintain what is known as the “steady state”.
That is when enough cash is ploughed into maintenance so the roads do not get any worse or better than they currently are – the concept is often seen as the minimum necessary standard, so as not to be faced with huge repair costs in the future.
But for a number of years even this level of investment has not been forthcoming and, now 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 settlement it is feared will trigger steep local cuts, even this may not be achieved.
John Taylor, roads operations manager for Inverness, 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.”
According to Mr Taylor the areas most likely to be affected by the anticipated deterioration are those considered “low volume and rural routes” which “may be disadvantaged as prioritisation of limited funding dictates”.
With £10 million of region-wide investment dispersed across all wards, as well as the baseline contribution from the capital budget and the specific ward allocation, more than £2.2 million will go on the area’s roads this year.
That cash should allow for the surfacing or resurfacing of around 65 roads and streets and, despite warnings of rural areas being “disadvantaged”, the current maintenance programme includes a number of roads along the south shore of Loch Ness.
Another area scheduled for resurfacing is Bruce Gardens, the state of which which was featured in the Courier last summer when columnist Charles Bannerman blasted repeated digging up of roads and pavements as a “cottage industry” leading to potholes further down the line.
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