Argyll and Bute Council has allocated £8 million pounds to this year’s roads’ reconstruction programme, taking investment over the past 10 years to more than £80 million.

Using this investment to focus on stopping deterioration, and where possible improve road condition, has been a successful approach, according to an independent evaluation of Argyll and Bute roads. 

On Thursday 21 March, the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee endorsed the programme of works that will take place across Argyll and Bute in 2024-25.

The budget has been split across the region, based on road area and population, for example Oban and Lorn has a greater road area than Helensburgh and Lomond. The allocation for each area this year is:

• Oban, Lorn and the Islands – £2,800.00 (35%)
• Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands – £2,480,000 (31%)
• Bute and Cowal – £1,600,000 (20%)
• Helensburgh and Lomond – £1,120, 000 (14%)

The proposed schemes have been identified through the council’s Roads Asset database, and the information collected from a SCANNER survey that was carried out during the summer.

The survey categorises roads from red (worst condition), through amber, to green. Once again, the council’s rating of green ‘good’ roads reached more than 50%.

These improvements were achieved through the delivery of a mix of carriageway resurfacing, edge strengthening, patching/surface dressing and insitu road surface recycling. This work will continue in the coming year.

Councillor Andrew Kain, Policy Lead for Roads and Transportation, said: “Road conditions will always attract comment. We all use them and we all rely on them to bring us the things we need to live and do business. That’s why the council, despite budget challenges, has continued to invest in roads infrastructure for the past decade.

“The council is responsible for more than 4% of Scotland’s entire roads network, and this investment has made an impact. We now have a programme of work that makes the most of the funding available and we shall continue with the formula that has proven successful.”