Scotland’s Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn has attended a roundtable meeting with transport operators and community stakeholders to hear their views and discuss work currently underway to progress improvements to the A75 and A77.
At the meeting with South Ayrshire Council representatives along with the South West Scotland Transport Alliance, Dumfries and Galloway Council and local campaigners, Mr Flynn vowed that improvement work for the A77 between Ayr and the Galloway port and the A75, which links Dumfries with Stranraer, would follow.
Campaigners in Ayr and Carrick have repeatedly called for the A77 to be made fully dual carriageway, both for safety reasons and to support local businesses who rely on the route for transportation, says the Ayr Advertiser.
Mr Flynn said:
“Scotland’s trunk road network plays a vital role in connecting communities and businesses to the port, and we know that there are challenges in the region with so much reliance on the A75 and A77.
“At a roundtable meeting held at the port, I heard directly from transport operators and local stakeholders on the need to improve the safety and resilience of the A75 and A77.
“I want to thank everyone who attended for sharing their views and experiences with me. I also want to reaffirm that Corridor Route Plans will be taken forward for both routes to identify and prioritise improvements to address these issues for all road users.”
He continued: “The Scottish Government’s commitment to improving both the A75 and A77 is reflected in the recommendations of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), which identified the need for enhancements to benefit safety, reliability and resilience.
“To make improvements in the short term, we have invested over £15 million in 2025-26 in critical safety, maintenance and infrastructure for both routes.
“Building on that investment, design and assessment work to consider options for realigning the A75 with bypasses at Springholm and Crocketford is proceeding at pace, with successful public engagement events held in June for local communities and road users in both villages.”
(Picture: Dumfries and Galloway Council)
