SCOTLAND could be facing a potential road-building skills shortage in the run-up to the start of the (pounds) 500m M74 link into the centre of Glasgow, one of the biggest Scottish road projects in decades.
Civil engineering leaders are so worried they have written to Nicol Stephen, the transport minister, to express concern about a potential exodus of road-building expertise from Scotland south of the border because of a year-long gap between major projects.
Four major roads projects have either been completed or are due to end within the next year. The A1 dualling, and the Kincardine approach road are both finished, while the M77 Fenwick link to the Glasgow southern orbital, and the Auchenkilns roundabout improvement scheme, outside Cumbernauld, are due to complete within a year.
However, the next major road project in Scotland - the five-mile M74 link through south- east Glasgow - is not expected to start until 2006, giving the Scottish Executive enough time to buy the land for the project.
This could leave Scottish road contractors with a hiatus of about a year in between major projects.
Alan Watt, chief executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors' Association in Scotland, told The Herald: ''It would be advantageous for Scotland to keep building roads to keep skills and expertise current. We have written to the minister about it.''
He said Stephen had been ''very responsive'' to the industry's concerns.
Contractors would like the minister and the executive to shuffle work forward, if possible, in order to keep the indigenous skill base occupied ahead of the controversial M74 link.
The industry would also like this to be taken into account in the current spending review - which will outline final spending plans for the next three years in September - so that projects can be moved forward to plug the gap.
Stephen could not be contacted for comment last night. However, a spokesperson for the executive said: ''There is a rolling programme of new road construction and improvement projects which is being taken forward with work at various stages.
''While there are various major schemes coming to a close, others are progressing, with new schemes due to start during the next year (eg on the A77), and further major schemes will follow.''
The M74 link is the biggest road scheme in Scotland for more than a decade.
The executive also noted
that the amount now being invested in targeted new road schemes represents an advance on the situation it inherited.
Further major schemes are currently at the planning stage, including completion of the motorway network - M80, M8 and M74 link - and the Aberdeen western peripheral road.
Subject to the completion of statutory procedures, these projects could be brought forward over the next few years, but would need to be included in the current spending review.
In addition, CECA Scotland's July survey of workload trends relayed better news from the sector, as order books were boosted by work in the water and sewerage sectors.
As a result, the July survey was ahead of the previously best recorded increases in 1999 and 2000. However, CECA Scotland noted the recovery in order books was from a very depressed level.
Respondents reporting their total civil engineering workload higher compared with a year ago was 55%, more than double the April increase of 24%. Those reporting lower levels of work fell eight percentage points to 21%.
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