State of road sparks serious crash fears

ACCIDENTS could be caused on the A9 between Latheron and Georgemas because of the poor condition of the road.

That is the claim made this week by Landward Caithness councillor Willie Mackay who argues the state of that section of the road is at “an all-time low”.

He said the 18-mile stretch of the Causewaymire is “breaking up” and is to press Scotland TranServ, the company which is responsible for its management and maintenance, to take action.

“I am concerned about the condition of the road surface which is deteriorating fast and has some severe potholes and rough surfaces,” said Mr Mackay.

He feels the road is in such a bad state it could cause crashes. “Without a doubt it could result in accidents.

“Drivers could be thrown off course by the bumps,” he said.

“Ideally, I would like to see the whole 18-mile section of the Causewaymire resurfaced but if TranServ would sort out the worst areas first that would help,” said Mr Mackay, who called on the company to deal with the situation as “a matter of urgency”.

He pointed out he has received complaints about the road from the public and previously contacted Scotland TranServ but received what he described as “a disappointing e-mail reply” from the company.

Customer service manager Cathel Macaskill, who is based in Beauly, acknowledged the Causewaymire is beginning to look “tired”. But he told Mr Mackay repairs are dependent on funding and competing priorities across the network.

He also explained a safety inspector patrols the road every week to assess it.

Mr Mackay was unhappy with the reply and claimed the repairs to the Causewaymire should be “pushed higher up the agenda”.

He said TranServ carried out resurfacing work at the Causewaymire and elsewhere in Caithness in May, June and July last year and made “a really good job of it”.

But he added: “I don’t know what material they were using because it is already beginning to break up.”

Mr Mackay pointed out TranServ put up eight uneven road surface signs on seven miles of the road from Latheron. “These signs are to warn motorists of the impending danger but it’s not quite good enough as drivers continue to speed up and down the 18-mile section,” said Mr Mackay.

He intends to contact TranServ again and highlight what he claims are the dangers of the road on which he travels daily. “This stretch of A9 was very bad last year after two severe winters, then we had some good work done last spring and summer but, sadly, we are back to where we were with travelling conditions at an all-time low.”

Responding to the criticism, Mr Macaskill said: “Trunk road maintenance schemes are prioritised based upon objective data provided by a detailed technical analysis of the whole network. Prioritised schemes are taken forward subject to the availability of funding.”

He added: “Weekly safety inspections are carried out on all our trunk roads to identify potential hazards and allow rectification of those within contractual timescales.”

Meanwhile, Mr Mackay has welcomed the decision by the Northern Safety Camera Partnership to run extra speed checks between Latheron and Georgemas.

Seven drivers were caught speeding over a three-day period in early March, he stated.

But he claims the more serious underlying danger is the condition of the road.

Do you travel regularly on the Causewaymire? What do you think about its current state? Comment online at www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk