Call to fix all of the A85 as part of £4m winter repair programme

A £4 million project to repair Scotland’s trunk roads should be extended to cover the full A85, a councillor has said.

Stewart Donaldson questioned why the Perth to Comrie stretch of the road, which then runs all the way to Oban, has been omitted from plans by Bear Scotland.

The trunk road operator is repairing roads in the north-west following harsh winter weather, including a stretch between St Fillans and Lochearnhead.

The SNP representative for the Strathearn ward said: “The area covered is vast.

“There is going to be work carried out between St Fillans and Lochearnhead in early March, yet there is no reference to the A85 around Crieff and Comrie and as regards to the A85 between Perth and Crieff.

“That is one of the busiest sections of Bear Scotland’s north-west network, given the substantial number of people in Strathearn who travel to work in Perth every day. It is also the main east to west trunk road through the middle of Scotland.

“In particular, the section of the A85 just beyond the speed signs at Methven as you head on to Crieff is in appalling condition.”

A spokesman for Bear Scotland said: “The ongoing £4m programme of urgent road surface works across trunk roads in the north-west was targeted to address areas most in need of repair as a result of winter weather and the freeze and thaw cycle in recent months.

“We will continue to carry out weekly safety inspections across trunk roads in the northwest of Scotland, including the A85, and any defects will be recorded and added to our programme of repairs.”