Repairs on north roads would cost £16 million, says Thurso councillor
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THE cost of carrying out urgent repairs on roads in Caithness and Sutherland is estimated to be around £16 million.
That is the figure which was divulged by local Highland councillor, Matthew Reiss when he spoke at a virtual meeting of the Thurso Community Council this week. He said it would require £5 million to undertake the work in Caithness and between £10 million and £11 million in Sutherland.
"It is completely impossible for Highland Council to find these sums. We have been given an additional £2 million on top of the £7 million a year we spend on road maintenance but that just is not enough," said the Thurso and northwest Caithness representative.
"The roads are deteriorating. Some of them were never designed for the loads they are taking and were built for light traffic. I have been told that one heavy goods vehicle carrying logs or stones does the same amount of damage as 1000 cars. We have not got an immediate solution to this problem. We do get a bit of money for timber extraction but it not enough," he added.
Community council chairman, Ron Gunn, agreed that more money is needed to "resolve this ongoing problem" and asked how much of the additional £2 million is expected to come to Caithness.
Mr Reiss explained that a formula is worked out to allocate money according to the amount of roads an area has got, he said.
"We will get an equitable share but it will only be about 10 per cent of what we require," he stressed.
Community councillor James Campbell claimed the repairs being carried out are inadequate. "A sprinkle of grit is no use. What is needed is the tarmac dug down to about 100 mills and repaired. That would surely last longer than a sprinkle of grit of the back of a truck," he said.
Mr Reiss agreed that the use of hot tar from a Jet Patcher machine would provide "a more permanent repair" but claimed a lot of roads are "beyond that." He also pointed out that the equipment to do the hot repair work "costs a lot of money".
"There is not enough money to do what we want to do or to buy what we want. We need more money," he added.
Louise Smith described the patching work as "just fire fighting" and said the roads need to be reconstructed.
She acknowledged the financial difficulties facing Highland Council but claimed the patching work is "pouring money down the drain."
Earlier, Mr Reiss praised Highland Council and Bear staff for keeping the roads open despite very low temperatures and drifting snow during the recent wintry spell. "The work they have done this year is exceptional. It was a fantastic operation," he said.
Mr Gunn agreed: "The road crews did a fantastic job, indeed, " he added.
