COMMUNITY ANGER AT A77 NEGLECT
Dumfries & Galloway MP Russell Brown has joined members of the local community in Wigtownshire to echo the call for action from the Scottish Government to resolve the poor maintenance issue of the A77 once and for all.
In December the road was closed for several days as a result of a landslip at Carlock Hill, south of Ballantrae. The closure led to vehicles initially having to travel an additional 53 miles using the A714. However, flooding on the A714 led to a further re-routing using the A713 which meant that the detour was in excess of 100 miles.
The landslip at Carlock Hill was the second to hit the area in just over a month. The road was closed in November 2014 due to landslips at Cairnryan just north of the ferry terminal, at Marchburn north of the South Ayrshire / Dumfries & Galloway Boundary and at Carlock Hill.
Last week Russell spoke with Scotland TranServ, the operating company responsible for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network in south west Scotland. He was informed that Geo-technical Design will be carrying out a survey for a further few weeks to assess the underlying problems on the road.
Scotland TranServ is intending to stabilise the slippages and improve the drainage of areas prone to flooding once the survey is completed. However, they are unable to confirm the timeframe for the repairs.
Dumfries and Galloway MP Russell Brown said:
“Whilst it is reassuring from my discussions with Scotland TranServ that they are beginning to wake up and realise the significant problems which afflict the A77, they have taken far too long to do so. Local people in Wigtownshire who are being affected by the constant delays, diversions and closures want to see far quicker action.
“What makes matters worse is that the Scottish Government have been well aware of the maintenance issues of the A77 for many months. I have written to Government Ministers on three occasions to inform them of the problems.
“The A77 is crucial to the economy of Wigtownshire. It carries a significant amount of the Cairnryan ferry traffic to and from the central belt, especially HGVs and it’s also a main route for students travelling to college in Ayr, as well as people travelling between Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway for employment on a daily basis.
“When the road is closed due to a landslip, there is no easy way round. For some people a short journey of a few miles can turn into one of over 100 miles. Local people are angry, and rightly so that it is taking so long to find a permanent solution. If the same problems were afflicting a road in the central belt then you can bet that the Scottish Government would be quick to take action. Meanwhile in Wigtownshire, we’ve been waiting months for Government action despite the importance of the A77 for the local economy.”
