Dumfries & Galloway Press Release
An information session centred on keeping people who use the A716 safe during adverse weather will take place in early September.
On Thursday 5 September from 4pm to 8pm in Drummore Primary School, our Council’s Engineering Team will be holding a drop-in session to provide stakeholders and the local community updated with plans to make the A716 safer during adverse weather. The road suffers coastal flooding emanating from high winds and increase rainfall, so our Council is stepping up efforts to improve the system for closure of the road that links Drummore to The Rhins during adverse weather.
The information event will also address the impact on properties who have restricted access to and from the A716 and will advise on planned improvements to the main diversion route (the B7065) during the times that the A716 is shut. Feedback received at this drop-in event on 5 September will shape the thinking of our Council, in conjunction with our key partner the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) into how the road can be effectively closed during adverse weather, as well as how it can be efficiently repaired and tidied after the worst of the weather passes, before being re-opened to traffic.
Speaking ahead of the event, Councillor Andy Ferguson, who is chairman of the Council’s Communities Committee said;
“This information session is very much two-way. We need the views of the locals who use the road every day, who have lived there all their lives and who will be directly affected when the road is closed. Our main objective here is to make the road closure as effective as possible so it keeps people safe but causes minimum disruption. Please come along on Thursday 5 September and not only hear what we have to say and show you, but also to tell us what you see as options for the road closure.”
Vice Chairman of Communities Committee, Councillor John Martin also commented;
“The section of road we’re talking about here in the Kilstay Bay area is a relatively small section of the A716, but a vital section. We’ve seen it shut several times in recent years as a result of coastal flooding and our Council wants to come up with a local solution to a local problem here. The information event will let the local community have a real input on how we can do that.”
A report will be taken to the Tuesday 5 November meeting of Communities Committee detailing options for the road closure of the A716.
