Nearly £1.5 million has been awarded to Perth & Kinross (P&K) Council to carry out upgrades and improvements to local roads which are used for timber extraction.

The £1,478,000 grant from the Forestry Commission Scotland will see four narrow roads upgraded to withstand increased traffic volumes, as well as minimise disruption to both local communities and the forestry industry.

Two of the roads set for improvement serve forests across the Loch Rannoch area and two serve the forests in the Ochil Hills between Dunning and Milnathort. These roads are:

• B846 between Rannoch Station and Tummel Bridge

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• B847 from Balmore on the north side of Loch Rannoch to the A9 at Calvine

• U29 between Path of Condie and Dunning

• U214 between Meikle Seggie and Ballingall

Plans include building 9.1 miles of carriageway and edge strengthening works, building 14 embankment supports as well as 92 passing places.

The conditions of the grant funding require the works to be completed by the end of March 2018. Work is scheduled to begin in August.

Council Leader Ian Campbell said: "As a Highland councillor, I am well aware of the poor condition of roads and the need for urgent repairs and I'm delighted that we have secured this level of funding to improve our residents' roads.

"The areas that will be affected by these works are popular tourist destinations, providing access to Highland Perthshire and the Ochil Hills respectively. They also serve a number of small, remote rural communities.

"The proposed road improvements will deliver significant benefits to the local communities and a range of other road users by increasing the safety of motorists, cyclists, walkers and horse riders, improving traffic flow and helping to minimise disruption and congestion."

(LM)