Warning that Highland Council is running out of time to 'save' some roads in Badenoch and Strathspey

A dire warning has been issued that unless some routes in the strath get investment soon then they can no longer be considered roads.

Funding was allocated by the local Highland councillors to 'save' three local roads but many more stretches are at risk.

A report to members of the council’s Badenoch and Strathspey area committee on Tuesday already stated the continuing deterioration of the road network presents a ‘risk to the travelling public’.

Road officers said this will continue as long as funding keeps falling short.

The assessment is the frankest yet to emerge from the local authority.

It states the level of funding has failed to keep pace with the repair work needed to maintain what is known as the steady state.

But even this investment has not been forthcoming for many local roads in the strath.

Richard Porteous, the council’s roads operations manager, said: “The level of investment across Highland falls short of the budget requirements to maintain a steady state condition of the road network.

"Deterioration of the overall network will occur with a corresponding risk to the travelling public.”

He went on: “An increase in damage claims can also be expected, as the road defects develop.”

According to Mr Porteous, the areas most likely to be affected are ‘low volume and rural routes’ which ‘may be disadvantaged as prioritisation of limited funding dictates’.

Local councillors agreed the area capital programme 2022/23 for local roads at their latest meeting.

Among the top priorities are the B9152 Kingussie to Lynchat (1.9kms) , B9150 Newtonmore (2.2kms), The Braes of Castle Grant outer loop (5kms), and three sections of the C1137 by Glentruim.

Mr Porteous told the committee the Castle of Braes loop was at risk and unless the funding was committed they 'were going to lose the road altogether'.

He said: “Hopefully we can catch this road before we have to spend crazy amounts of money on it.”

The roads boss said it has been over seven years since the council had carried out significant surface dressing on many of the local A and B roads – which would extend their lifetime by five to 10 years.

He continued: “For the last few years we have been trying to save the Glentrium road. There are three remaining short sections to be repaired so I think we have saved the road.

“And another one if we do not spend the money now it will be too late is the Tombain section (of the U2347) north of Grantown.

Area committee chairman Councillor Bill Lobban, while praising local staff for their work, said it was high time the council stepped up road repairs.

He commented: “For many, many years roads have been the Cinderella operation at Highland Council, it has been completely under-funded and it needs to be properly funded.

"We need more money spent on roads, ditches, bridges and everything else and it is high time that this council began to appreciate it.

“It should no longer be considered a service that we do not need to put money into and when I hear you saying there are a number of roads that unless we spend money on them they will no longer be roads – the council needs to take that on board.

"We need to spend more money on this service; it is a simple fact of life.”

A total of £784,910 is to be spent this financial year on 22 road projects also including car parking and culvert works.

The trunk roads come under the responsibility of Transport Scotland are funded and repaired separately to the Highland Council local roads network.

The road improvements and other related works that have been approved for the strath for the coming financial year can be found here.

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