Some of the region’s timber routes are to get £860,000 worth of improvements.
Work is soon to begin on the A709, from Lockerbie to Dumfries, the U300a, at Laverhay near Wamphray, and the B796, Cardoness to Gatehouse, to strengthen the roads, widen corners and
provide passing places.
Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment Mairi Gougeon announced £455,000 from the Scottish Government towards the three projects, which is being topped up by the council and private forest owners.
It was part of a Scotland-wide £7 million package revealed by the politician on a visit to Forest Enterprise Scotland’s office at Ae on Wednesday.
The minister said: “Scotland’s burgeoning £1 billion forestry industry produces seven million tonnes of timber every year – a quantity of high-quality raw material that is set to increase in coming years.
“This timber will greatly benefit our rural economy, but we must do all we can to mitigate the impact of increased timber traffic on minor roads.”
The Scottish Government’s Strategic Timber Transport Fund 2018 is going towards projects in eight council areas.
Five regional project officers are also being funded to liaise with councils and forestry stakeholders to identify and find solutions for timber transport issues.
Roland Stiven, of the Confederation of Forest Industries, added: “This funding is greatly needed to improve rural roads to suit modern land uses such as forestry.
“Work on minor roads such as those at Laverhay will strengthen the surface, widen corners and provide passing places so timber lorries can share the road with residents and business while harvesting is underway.
“The scheme is also supporting work to imp-rove the freight capacity of roads such as the A714, vital for shifting timber from Galloway to the processing and manufacturing facilities in Ayrshire.”
