Parts of the Ayrshire region are to benefit from vital cash from the Scottish Government’s Local Bridge Maintenance Fund — apart from South Ayrshire.
East Ayrshire’s Victoria Bridge (Kilmarnock), Burnfoot Bridge (Cumnock) and Gateside Culvert (Stewarton) will receive a total of £756,000 of government cash to help fund maintenance projects.
And in North Ayrshire, £826,000 is to be set aside, mostly for projects on the Isle of Arran.
But the South Ayrshire region will receive nothing — after their request for funding was rejected.
The cash is part of the Scottish Government’s £32m Local Bridge Maintenance Fund, which is being shared by 19 councils, over this year and next, to rebuild or maintain 74 local road bridges.
Public finance minister Tom Arthur said: “I am pleased that this funding will help rebuild or maintain key local bridges where alternatives routes are either not available at all, or involve an unacceptable level of inconvenience if they have to close.
“For some communities bridges provide lifeline links to local needs and necessities, and when they close it can deeply inconvenience residents and disrupt local economies.”
Ayrshire Live contacted South Ayrshire Council to find out why the region was getting nothing and was told their application for cash was “unsuccessful.”
A South Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “The Ayrshire Roads Alliance submitted funding applications to the Local Bridge Maintenance Fund for both East Ayrshire Council and South Ayrshire Council. The applications for South Ayrshire Council bridges were unsuccessful.
“The Scottish Government has advised that 131 applications were received from 25 local authorities and a total of 74 applications from 19 local authorities have been approved.”
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