MASSIVE FUNDING FOR ABERDEENSHIRE WINTER ROAD REPAIRS

HUNTLY IS SUCCESSFUL TEST SITE FOR WINTER TREATMENT SOLUTION

Gordon MSP, Alex Salmond, has welcomed a massive £1.36 million Scottish Government cash boost to help Aberdeenshire Council deal with urgent repairs on local roads and cover the extra costs of winter roads maintenance.

The funding forms part of an extra £15 million made available to local authorities by the Scottish Government - three times last year's level.

Meanwhile Huntly was chosen as the location for a successful test of a liquid solution, designed to clear roads in much lower temperatures. The product is capable of clearing roads at temperatures of up to minus 20 degrees and strategic stocks will be placed around the country for targeted use during lower temperatures, when normal salt is not as effective.

Commenting Mr Salmond said:

“Gordon and the rest of Scotland has just experienced its coldest December in 100 years and thousands of people have worked extremely hard over the last couple of months to keep our roads passable.

“The fact that almost 10% of this welcome funding was directed toward Aberdeenshire reflects the severity of the conditions faced by the North East this winter. Aberdeenshire Council, which looks after local roads, now has to deal with the problem of potholes and the exceptional costs of the extra roads maintenance needed this winter. This funding, which is triple last year’s amount, will go a long way toward repairing the damage brought on by the extremely harsh conditions.

“Meanwhile the successful testing of the liquid solution in this constituency means that roads can now be treated at much lower temperatures across Gordon and Scotland. This will be invaluable in any future cold snaps as we continue to explore more innovative ways of keeping our transport networks moving throughout Gordon during the winter weather.”