£30m 'peanuts' to fund Berriedale bypass
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A PROPOSED upgrade of the Berriedale Braes has been branded “unacceptable” by a former Caithness councillor who claimed the only solution to the problem is a bypass.
Billy Mowat, who served for many years as a district and regional councillor, said an upgrade would not be satisfactory and instead called for the trouble spot to be bypassed at an estimated cost of £30 million.
That would, he argued, help ease the transport difficulties on that section of the A9, create work at a time when jobs are being lost at Dounreay and help the fledgling renewables industry.
Mr Mowat said 25 per cent of the funding for the project – first mooted before the Second World War – could come from Europe with the remainder from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Highland Council.
He claimed the proposed upgrade would cut out the hairpin bend by taking the road round the side of a cemetery and joining it up again with the A9.
“That plan would increase the length of the road and the carbon dioxide emissions. It would also probably finish the bypass project,” said Mr Mowat.
He claimed about £2m has been spent by Transport Scotland to carry out improvements at the Berriedale Braes and said it would be better to allocate that money towards a bypass scheme.
Mr Mowat did not think the current economic downturn would make it harder to fund the bypass and stressed the Scottish and UK governments are pushing infrastructure projects. “It would cost around £30 million but that is peanuts compared to the Edinburgh trams and the price of the Scottish Parliament,” he added.
A similar view was expressed by Elizabeth Cameron, the former secretary and treasurer of the Berriedale and Dunbeath Community Council.
She said the proposed upgrade would remove the hairpin bend on the north part of the road but would still result in “a long haul” up the braes for drivers. “It would just give us another problem,” she told the Caithness Courier.
They spoke out after Far North MSP Rob Gibson said the upgrade of the Berriedale Braes should be treated with the “utmost urgency”.
He called on the NDA and energy companies to team up with the Scottish Government to help solve what he described as “a long-standing transport issue for Caithness and Sutherland”.
“The Berriedale Braes has been a major issue for many years. I hope that we might be seeing the start of a potential solution. A partnership approach from the Scottish Government, the NDA and possibly energy firms could be a way to break this deadlock,” he said.
However, the SNP MSP stressed that in the current economic climate new and innovative ways are needed to fund the scheme.
“That is why the NDA has to be fully involved. Berriedale is a constant problem and is said to work against a sustainable economic future for the county. The NDA is there to help that future so it is vital that the NDA works with the Scottish Government to help bring about funding to solve this problem.”
Mr Gibson’s plea came during a question to the transport minister, Keith Brown. He asked the minister if he would treat the upgrade of the Berriedale Braes with the utmost urgency to deliver “a much-needed improvement”.
Mr Brown welcomed the suggestion as constructive and said it was something he would look into. He also stated a study by Transport Scotland found the ground at Berriedale is suitable for widening or realignment. Additional work is due to be carried out when resources and priorities allow.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Gibson said: “It is heartening to hear that the minister is looking to the possibility of involving other parties to help solve the problem of the Berriedale Braes.”
He hoped the Highland Council would work with the Scottish Government to involve the NDA to help bring about a satisfactory solution.
A council spokeswoman said the Berriedale Braes is a trunk road and the responsibility of Transport Scotland. But she stressed the local authority is urging the Scottish Government to make that part of the A9 a priority as it connects the North with the rest of the Highlands.
