The Scottish Government are being urged to match a commitment by the UK Government to dual the A1 to the England-Scotland border.
Speaking to north-east daily newspaper, The Chronicle, the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling MP has confirmed the A1 will be dualled from Northumberland to the Scottish Border. Two years ago, the UK Government announced plans to dual a 13 mile stretch from Newcastle to Ellingham and plans have been drawn up for consultation.
Now, local MSP John Lamont is calling on the SNP Government to similarly commit to dualling the 17 miles of single lane stretches north of the Border in Berwickshire and East Lothian. The MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire has lodged a Parliamentary Question asking the Scottish Government whether they plan to upgrade the route.
John Lamont MSP said: “This is a welcome statement from the UK Transport Secretary and the Scottish Government must now play catch up and look closely at upgrading the A1.
“The SNP has an extra £800m to spend on capital projects, just like this, so it really has no excuse not to invest in this key route. Dualling the A1 would not only provide local jobs and investment, but it will also make the road safer. Official figures have already shown that accident rates are much higher on the two lane sections of the A1 as they are on the dual carriageway sections.
“The current lack of investment is in danger of becoming a national embarrassment. What type of message does it send out to businesses and visitors using the road if the entire English section is dualled, only for the road to become a single carriageway just a mile inside Scotland?”