Dumfriesshire MSP Oliver Mundell has said the time for excuses is over for the Scottish Government and has called on them to heavily invest in the A75 following today’s Autumn Statement.
Mr Mundell, who made dualling the A75 his main election priority earlier this year says that with £800 million extra being given to the Scottish Government by the Chancellor for capital projects, there can now be no excuses for Transport Minister Humza Yousaf not to open his chequebook for Dumfries and Galloway’s major trunk road.
Commenting Oliver Mundell MSP said: “The Scottish Government no longer have any excuses when it comes to not investing in the A75 which is so vital for the local economy in Dumfriesshire.
“With this huge extra capital funding, I am calling on Transport Minister Humza Yousaf to open his chequebook out and deliver major investment for the A75 which so badly needs dualled.
“The Scottish Government have found millions to invest in other major roads across the country so it beggars belief that they continue to dither on upgrading the A75.
“They now have even more funds at their disposal and the Transport Minister simply can’t afford to miss this opportunity to deliver a huge boost to the Transport Network in Dumfries and Galloway for businesses, residents and visitors to the area.
“The Transport Minister is currently under pressure over his handling of many issues across Scotland’s Transport Network but if he wants to make people in Dumfries and Galloway happy, he should sign the cheque to get the show on the road on dualling the A75.
“Mr Yousaf held a much hyped Transport summit in August in Dumfries that completely failed to deliver; now he has a chance to give Dumfries and Galloway an early Christmas present with a major investment for the A75.”
In addition to welcoming the extra capital funding, Dumfriesshire MSP Oliver Mundell also welcomed the Chancellor’s continued commitment to freezing fuel duty.
“I hugely welcome the Government’s continued policy of freezing fuel duty for motorists which a huge boost to the rural economy of Dumfriesshire.
“The commitment to helping motorists at the pumps means that people in Dumfriesshire will be paying a lot less every time they fill up their vehicle than they would be under a Labour Government.
“That is good news for drivers in my rural constituency where a car is a necessity and not a luxury.”
