The dualling of the A75, which connects Scotland to other parts of the United Kingdom, would be fast-tracked under Scottish Conservative plans unveiled by two local MSPs.
Craig Hoy, a South Scotland MSP and the party’s candidate for Dumfriesshire at next year’s Holyrood election, and Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson have joined forces to launch a campaign for emergency legislation that would see key sections dualled by 2031, and the entire road as quickly as possible thereafter.
Included in the emergency law are plans to expedite environmental impact assessments, which can hold up work getting carried out on Scotland’s roads, and establishing Infrastructure Investment Partnerships to help attract more private investment into the dualling project.
It will mirror the plans the Scottish Conservatives announced at their party conference in June to speed up the dualling of the notorious A9.
The two MSPs visited a stretch of the A75 this week, following a spate of accidents, where they declared “enough is enough”.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries Finlay Carson said: “As someone who has lived along the A75 my whole life, I know just how important it is and how desperately we need to see it fully dualled.
“The SNP are full of warm words but continue to treat the A75 as a low priority. Enough is enough.
“Our emergency law would speed up the process of dualling this route and encourage more private investment into the road.
“Motorists’ lives are at risk every time they drive this road due to the SNP’s inaction. It is disgraceful that they fail to recognise the importance of the A75 for the local and national economy, given the port at Cairnryan.
“If this road isn’t finally dualled then there is a real threat of businesses taking their trade elsewhere, which would be a hammer blow for south-west Scotland.
“Craig Hoy and I are determined to campaign for this vital upgrade and for full dualling. It is clear that only the Scottish Conservatives can be trusted to dual the A75 in full.”
Scottish Conservative candidate for Dumfriesshire Craig Hoy MSP said: “The A75 is vitally important across the South of Scotland, but the SNP have shamefully neglected it during their 18 years in power.
“Despite sustained calls from local campaigners, communities and businesses, successive SNP transport ministers have been asleep at the wheel and failed to deliver the upgrades they promised.
“That’s why Finlay Carson and I are launching our joint campaign today designed to fast-track the dualling of the A75 in key sections by the end of the next Scottish Parliament in 2031 and to deliver full dualling as quickly as possible.
“We will deliver where the SNP have failed. This road not only benefits those living and working in these communities but also links Scotland with the north of England and Northern Ireland. It is imperative those links are not only kept but strengthened.
“As the candidate for Dumfriesshire, I’m delighted to be making this promise to local voters ahead of next year’s election on such a crucial issue.”
Notes to editors
The Scottish Conservatives would pass an emergency law to fast-track the dualling of the A75. The law would set out a special fast-tracked process for completing the A75 dualling project. Specifically, it would establish a bespoke procurement process that addresses industry concerns about the balance of risk in previous Transport Scotland contracts and override any legislative hurdles that are currently holding up the project.
The Scottish Conservatives announced similar proposals to fast-track the dualling of the A9 earlier this year. We announced that we would pass a law at Holyrood that would set out a special fast-tracked process for completing the A9 dualling project. Specifically, the law would establish a bespoke procurement process that addresses industry concerns about the balance of risk in previous A9 procurement contracts and override any legislative hurdles that are currently holding up the project.
The law would expedite Environmental Impact Assessments to ensure that the A75 dualling project can be completed faster. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a tool used to assess the significant effects of a project or development proposal on the environment. An EIA has five stages and is required for new trunk roads, additional carriageways and new bridges. Overall, the EIA process for a dual carriageway in Scotland can be a multi-stage procedure that takes several months or even over a year to complete.
This law would also establish Infrastructure Investment Partnerships with private companies to help complete the A75 project faster. The Infrastructure Investment Partnership model would set out a new public-private partnership arrangement between the Scottish Government and companies helping to deliver the A75 procurement project. These partnerships would be designed to attract more private investors by reducing costs in the procurement process and provide businesses with more of a stake in the project in order to ensure its completion on time and on budget.
The law would guarantee funding to ensure that the A75 is constructed. Holyrood’s Inquiry into A9 dualling delays found that the Scottish Government’s failure to reach an agreement on programme funding significantly contributed to the stalling of progress. We would therefore guarantee that a set portion of the Scottish Government capital transport budget would be set aside for continuous investment into the A75 dualling project. Guaranteed funding would ensure that progress can keep at pace, constructions materials can be procured, and that there would be no stalling in the development.
The Scottish Conservative campaign to dual the A75 can be found here: https://www.scottishconservatives.com/news/dual-the-a75/