Highland Council invests £24m in roads and bridges
HIGHLAND Council is to invest an extra £24.5 million in roads, bridges and piers.
The funding is to be included in the council’s Capital Plan, together with an additional £1.6 million for minor flood works.
However £7 million earmarked for flood prevention schemes has been put back by three years until national funding has been clarified.
And park and ride measures have been off until 2023-24 until further housing development plans are known.
The 10-year plan, which will help fund some £900 million of projects, will now form the basis of a future rolling programme of capital investment.
It will be updated at least annually to allow for new projects to be considered in future years.
The proposals were agreed at a meeting of the full Highland Council yesterday (Thursday).
Chairwoman of the development and infrastructure committee, Cllr Audrey Sinclair said: "An additional £24.5 million will be invested in our roads, bridges and piers across the Highlands.
"We have over 7000km of non-trunk roads in the Highlands and our road infrastructure is vital to communities.
"This is a substantial investment which will significantly help us improve our roads."
The Council’s Capital Budget is funded by a mixture of Government Grant and Borrowing. This is entirely separate from the Revenue Budget with separate Government Grant allocations.
Council leader Margaret Davidson said: "As with any budget, we acknowledge there are risks associated with long-term planning assumptions.
"In a time when our revenue budget is taking a huge hit, it is a positive that we are able to plan for a huge capital investment over the next 10 years in our infrastructure.
"Every pound we spend on improving our roads, bridges and buildings goes back into the Highland economy and helps to support jobs and growth."
