Stretch of A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown to be....

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Stretch of A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown to be....

Postby Kintyre Forum News » Wed Aug 28, 2013 6:50 pm

Great news and nice we promo on Campbeltown too. 8)

http://news.stv.tv/west-central/237629- ... -upgraded/

The main route between Kennacraig and Campbeltown will become a trunk road within the next year.

First Minister Alex Salmond confirmed on Wednesday that the Scottish Government would become responsible for maintenance of the 51km stretch of the A83 after the trunking process was completed.

Speaking in Campbeltown during a Scottish Government cabinet meeting, Mr Salmond said the upgrade was the culmination of £12m investment in improving the route since his government came to power in 2007.

Trunking would improve traffic flow as well as provide a boost for local communities and businesses, he added.

The First Minister said: “Improving transport connections to all corners of Scotland is vital to ensure local communities and businesses prosper and play their part in sustaining economic growth across the country. So far, Transport Scotland has invested nearly £12m in improvements to the A83. This is in addition to the £3m package of works which included delivery of a local diversion route at the Rest and Be Thankful, and we are committed to investing a further £4m this financial year to mitigate the effects of landslips at the location.

"However, we want to build on that and improve the road network in Kintyre even further. I am therefore delighted to announce that from next year, the 51km section of the A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown is set to become a trunk road, with operation and maintenance the responsibility of Transport Scotland. With the 106km of road between Kennacraig and Tarbet already trunked, this will allow for more effective and efficient route management for this vital road through Argyll.

“Kintyre is nationally significant within the renewables and tourism sectors, with a local wind generation company employing more than 130 in Machrihanish, and the town also playing host to internationally-renowned golf courses. That is why we need to continue the improvements to the transport infrastructure and make the region more accessible for local businesses and visitors.

“This announcement adds to a raft of recent transport improvements to Kintyre, with a new three-year pilot ferry service between Campbeltown, Arran and Ardrossan – the first new CalMac route in nearly 20 years – as well as a new Sunday air service between Campbeltown and Glasgow which is being piloted this summer and next.

“And the recently built £2m emergency route through Glen Croe will give local communities further reassurance that Kintyre will stay open for business if we face another unwanted landslide at the Rest and Be Thankful. We want to improve existing links and add more connections to and from the Kintyre region to support tourism and the local economy to open up further one of the most beautiful corners of Scotland.”
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Re: Stretch of A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown to be....

Postby jingleman » Wed Aug 28, 2013 10:28 pm

Why bother spending money to upgrade 51 km of road from Kennacraig to Campbeltown only to have your vehicle's suspension and tyres wrecked on the dirt tracks that pass for the roads in and around the town. Will the cooncil now use the funds released when the maintenance of the last stretch of the A83 is taken over by central government? No, because they spend practically nothing on the maintenace of the roads in Kintyre anyway and what they do spend is on expensive, useless patching which needs re-doing within a week. Funny how vehicle owners, by law, have to keep their vehicles roadworthy and yet the cooncil has no obligtion whatsoever to keep the roads car worthy. Visitors to Campbeltown be warned - the roads of south Kintyre are in a dreadful state of disrepair. They are not safe to be used by cars, motorbikes, bicycles and even pedestrians and there ain't much heppnin soon that looks like it will improve the situation.
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Re: Stretch of A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown to be....

Postby drollyin » Wed Aug 28, 2013 10:44 pm

The Carradale road is an utter disgrace - maybe Mr Salmond should have taken a trip up the east road
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Re: Stretch of A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown to be....

Postby jdcarra » Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:40 pm

jingleman wrote:Why bother spending money to upgrade 51 km of road from Kennacraig to Campbeltown only to have your vehicle's suspension and tyres wrecked on the dirt tracks that pass for the roads in and around the town. Will the cooncil now use the funds released when the maintenance of the last stretch of the A83 is taken over by central government? No, because they spend practically nothing on the maintenace of the roads in Kintyre anyway and what they do spend is on expensive, useless patching which needs re-doing within a week. Funny how vehicle owners, by law, have to keep their vehicles roadworthy and yet the cooncil has no obligtion whatsoever to keep the roads car worthy. Visitors to Campbeltown be warned - the roads of south Kintyre are in a dreadful state of disrepair. They are not safe to be used by cars, motorbikes, bicycles and even pedestrians and there ain't much heppnin soon that looks like it will improve the situation.

And i'll agree with all you said :x .
drollyin wrote:The Carradale road is an utter disgrace - maybe Mr Salmond should have taken a trip up the east road

He would have been well advised not to Walt incase he damages his big Bently :shock: .

I raised the road/grass verge cuts and scrub cutback with Alan Reid on Monday, his annual visit to Carradale.I told him I was just back from a holiday down in the lakes.I covered over 700 miles driving through the Lake district,Northumberland,Pennines, Yorkshire and the roads were a bliss to drive on.Even up in the hills the single track routes would put all ours to shame.What is it with our area that we cannot have good roads like what i have driven on down south last week,hardly A POTHOLE to be seen.Getting beyond a joke driving in this part of the country now,spec the council will be ordering another batch of yellow aerosol cans for the next generation of craters about to appear.
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Re: Stretch of A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown to be....

Postby mrn » Thu Aug 29, 2013 8:43 am

How insular to hijack a positive story with your gripes about other roads in Kintyre! This is a huge step in the right direction to ensure and provide a vital lifeline to our community. Lets take the positives from this and move forward to argue the case for action on other roads. With the Council giving up responsibility of the A83 surely more focus will move to the roads round Kintyre where you can make your arguments. In the meantime be more positive!
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Re: Stretch of A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown to be....

Postby jdcarra » Thu Aug 29, 2013 9:38 am

mrn wrote:How insular to hijack a positive story with your gripes about other roads in Kintyre! This is a huge step in the right direction to ensure and provide a vital lifeline to our community. Lets take the positives from this and move forward to argue the case for action on other roads. With the Council giving up responsibility of the A83 surely more focus will move to the roads round Kintyre where you can make your arguments. In the meantime be more positive!


Ok mrn
I'll agree with you there on (highjack) my apologies as it happens quite often on the forum.
Fair enough,at last we are going to get this section upgraded,fine for all users of it,but our road (Carradale) is about the worst in Argyll,so when roads are mentioned I jump the gun."Argue the case for action on other roads", do you think now the council have been released from maintaining this stretch there will be buckets of money for all the other South Kintyre roads :?: .
I'll think on moving to the west side now,less vehicle maintainance and the jolts to the old bones :wink:
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Re: Stretch of A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown to be....

Postby Kintyre Forum News » Thu Aug 29, 2013 6:40 pm

We received the following comment from Councillor Donald Kelly:

Councillor Donald Kelly said Argyll First are delighted that the Scottish Government have finally recognised the strategic importance of trunking the A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown.

We would like to thank the 10000 members of the public and the 300 businesses who supported our Sign for the A83 Petition. This justifies all the hard work and campaigning which enabled us to take the petition to the Scottish Parliament, resulting in today’s announcement.
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Re: Stretch of A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown to be....

Postby Kintyre Forum News » Tue Sep 03, 2013 11:19 pm

Sorry for delay in posting what is the press release

Upgrading the A83 - Kennacraig to Campbeltown section to become trunk road

The main road running through the southern Kintyre peninsula is set to become a trunk road in the next year, Alex Salmond announced today.

Once the trunking process is completed , this will see Scottish Ministers assume responsibility for operations and maintenance of the 51km stretch of the A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown.

Speaking in Campbeltown, the First Minister said the decision to trunk this section would build on a £12 million programme of investment already committed to the road, as well as adding to a portfolio of recent transport enhancements for the Kintyre peninsula.

Mr Salmond said the extension to the trunking on the road would provide more effective route management for the A83, with the 106km section between Kennacraig and Tarbet already the responsibility of Transport Scotland.

The First Minister made the announcement as the Scottish Cabinet visited Kintyre for the third of the Scottish Government’s summer cabinet meetings, with events already completed in Shetland and Hawick.

The First Minister said:

“Improving transport connections to all corners of Scotland is vital to ensure local communities and businesses prosper and play their part in sustaining economic growth across the country.

“So far, Transport Scotland has invested nearly £12 million in improvements to the A83, but we want to build on that and improve the road network in Kintyre even further. I am therefore delighted to announce that from next year, the 51km section of the A83 between Kennacraig and Campbeltown is set to become a trunk road, with operation and maintenance the responsibility of Transport Scotland.

“With the 106km of road between Kennacraig and Tarbet already trunked, this will allow for more effective and efficient route management for this vital road through Argyll.

“Kintyre is nationally significant within the renewables and tourism sectors, with a local wind generation company employing more than 130 in Machrihanish, and the town also playing host to internationally renowned golf courses. That is why we need to continue the improvements to the transport infrastructure and make the region more accessible for local businesses and visitors.

“This announcement adds to a raft of recent transport improvements to Kintyre, with a new three-year pilot ferry service between Campbeltown, Arran and Ardrossan - the first new CalMac route in nearly 20 years – as well as a new Sunday air service between Campbeltown and Glasgow which is being piloted this summer and next.

“And the recently built £2m emergency route through Glen Croe will give local communities further reassurance that Kintyre will stay open for business if we face another unwanted landslide at the Rest and Be Thankful.

“We want to improve existing links and add more connections to and from the Kintyre region to support tourism and the local economy to open up further one of the most beautiful corners of Scotland.”

Commenting on the First Minister’s announcement, Argyll and Bute Council’s Lead Councillor for Development and Infrastructure, Councillor John Semple said: “I’m very pleased at the infrastructure commitments made by the Scottish Government which will help to better connect not only one of the most remote mainland communities in the UK, but also a community with a great deal to offer in resources important to the Scottish economy. Argyll and Bute can be better connected by air, sea and better by road too.



“We welcome the announcement that the trunking process is now underway. Argyll and Bute Council is due to look at its A83 business case soon, and I am sure we will be looking forward to working with Transport Scotland on this commitment which is great news for Argyll and Bute.”





Background

The final summer Scottish Cabinet meeting will be held in Fraserburgh on 1 and 2 September.

Transport Scotland has been in discussions with Argyll and Bute Council for a number of months on the detail of the transition of responsibilities. This close engagement will continue through the formal trunking process.

Formal transfer of responsibilities is expected during the next financial year (2014/15). On completion, the maintenance requirements will be undertaken through the relevant Trunk Road Operating Company Contract (BEAR).

The A83 between Campbeltown-Kennacraig is a 51km stretch of single carriageway road which carries approximately 2000-2500 vehicles per day and is currently the responsibility of Argyll and Bute Council.

As part of the Final Ferries Plan announcement in December 2012 the Minister for Transport and Veterans stated that transport officials would work with Argyll and Bute Council to consider a case for trunking the A83 from Campbeltown to Kennacraig.

Transport Scotland is the Scottish Government’s national transport agency responsible for; aviation, bus, freight and taxi policy; coordinating the National Transport Strategy for Scotland; ferries, ports and harbours; impartial travel services; liaising with regional transport partnerships, including monitoring of funding; local roads policy; major public transport projects; national concessionary travel schemes; rail and trunk road networks; sustainable transport, road safety and accessibility; the Blue Badge Scheme. Transport Scotland is an Executive agency accountable to Scottish Ministers. http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/
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