| Date -06 Dec 2007 | Return to previous page |
Moray Council is to spend more than £350,000 carrying out improvements to a road with an increasingly bad accident record.
Experts who carried out a study of the B9016 Buckie to Keith road found it had a large number of tight bends and poor alignment and was not wide enough for two lorries to pass safely in places.
Their report recommended that the route should be upgraded on a phased basis and the carriageway widened.
The council’s environmental services committee was told today that some minor improvements had already been carried out, including edge lines, additional warning signs and markings and edge strengthening and minor curve widening.
A report to the committee stated: “Traffic surveys between 2001 and 2006 highlighted an increase in usage and a corresponding increase and severity of reported accidents on the B9016.
“The council recognised the increasing importance of the route and gave environmental services authority to carry out a route study with the primary aim of identifying solutions to reduce accidents.
“The study considered the condition of the existing road structure, surface condition, road widths and the geometry, alignment and pinch-points where structures or geographical constraints contributed to accidents.
“Accident analysis showed a direct correlation with the road alignment that is predominated by straight sections followed by short, tight-radius bends.
“The report’s recommendations recognise the outcomes of the analysis and promote the improvement programme that contains a plan of work to upgrade the route to a standard commensurate with its increasing importance as a transport link in Moray while addressing the deficiencies that are contributing to accidents.”
The route action plan, which is subject to funding being made available, is split into a short-term programme covering the next five years, a medium-term programme spanning years six to 10 and a longer-term programme which includes widening and realigning the road at various points along with bridge replacements.
Buckie councillor Gordon McDonald said the improvements were long overdue.
“This road has a terrible reputation for accidents,” he said.
Councillors were told that £220,000 will be spent on improvements in the current financial year and a further £136,000 next year.