Dumfries and Galloway (D&G) Council has secured £1.4 million from the Strategic Timber Transport Fund.

The council will use the funding to carry out 10 road improvement schemes across the region.

In addition, the local authority is co-funding each project with £800,000, taking the total scheme value to £2.2m.

Details of the projects are as follows;

• A708 Moffat to Scottish Borders boundary - provision of passing places, carriageway strengthening and drainage improvements

• B709 Langholm to Scottish Borders boundary - strengthening/reconstruction

• B723 Eskdalemuir village to Lockerbie - carriageway construction at haul road access/egress

• B7068 Langholm to Lockerbie - carriageway strengthening

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• U300a Laverhay - significant drainage improvements, provision of passing places and carriageway strengthening/widening

• A709 Dumfries to Lockerbie - carriageway strengthening

• C46w A714 to South Ayrshire boundary - provision of passing places and carriageway strengthening/widening

• B7027 South Ayrshire boundary - provision of passing places and carriageway strengthening/widening

• C13s/B795 Connects the in forest haul route to the A713 - carriageway strengthening

• A712 Crofts - carriageway strengthening

Archie Dryburgh, Chair of the Economy, Environment and Infrastructure Committee, said: "This is excellent news for the region's roads and this package of improvements provides vital support for the region's timber transport and the Forestry Industry. In addition the work involved will be beneficial to other road users and reduces the ongoing maintenance costs of these roads.

"This bid was based on a strategic package of improvement measures across the region targeting priority forestry routes encompassing: strip widening, strengthening, creation of new passing places, cutting back of overhanging vegetation for sight lines / road safety, drainage improvements, installation of new culverts and improvement to existing culverts. Four of the proposed schemes are strategic cross-border routes and commonly feature steep topography, narrow road widths, and poor drainage."

(LM/MH)