The Scottish Government has blamed ‘factors out of its control’ for delays to major upgrades in its trunk road programme.
The Government was responding to comments made by Liberal Democrat MP, Danny Alexander, who claimed plans for ‘much-needed’ upgrades in the Highlands were in a state of ‘disarray’. Alexander accused the Government of trying to bury the news, and said the revelation provided a ‘startling and overdue insight into the chaos at the heart of the Scottish Government’s transport policy’.
Alexander pointed to upgrades on the A9, the A96, the A82, and the A95 which had been hit by ‘substantial delays’. He added: ‘Almost every upgrade which the Government inherited in May 2007 has fallen badly behind schedule.
‘While ministers concentrate on wild and unfunded promises, the real and funded plans which they inherited to improve roads in the Highlands are being allowed to unravel – out of sight of the public.’
A spokesman for the Scottish Government described the claims as inaccurate, and said that major progress was being made on many projects across the country.
He added that work was progressing well on the M74, and the Forth replacement crossing project continued to make progress towards delivery, while the A876 Clackmannanshire Bridge was completed in November 2008 ‘on time and on budget’.
‘Factors out of our control such as a larger-than-expected number of local objections – leading to public inquiries – and other complex technical issues have meant some projects are taking longer to complete, but this does not detract from the fact that this Scottish Government is currently delivering a record programme of works which will deliver around £2.7bn and thousands of jobs to the economy.’
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