Introduction

Background to the A75 Springholm and Crocketford Improvements

The A75 Trunk Road in the south west of Scotland is 159km long and extends from Gretna and the A74(M) in the east, to Stranraer in the west. The route constitutes an important link for the Loch Ryan port facilities (Cairnryan). The principal towns along the route are Annan, Dumfries, Castle Douglas, Gatehouse of Fleet, Newton Stewart and Stranraer. This background focuses specifically on previous work which identified the need for improvements around Springholm and Crocketford.

In August 1997, The Scottish Office commissioned a Route Action Plan Study for the entire length of the route. The aim of the Study was to bring together options for improvement of the A75(T) in the short, medium and long term, i.e. one to two years, two to five years and five to ten years, all with regard to Value for Money, Safety, and The Environment. The summarised output was titled A75 Gretna to Stranraer – Route Action Plan - Firm Strategy Report, published in October 1999. The short-term schemes identified localised lining, signing and junction improvements. The medium-term schemes, a number of dedicated overtaking sections, whereas the long-term schemes proposed a series of bypasses and dualling schemes. One of the recommendations for the long-term strategy included a Springholm Bypass which could consist of an offline upgrade to Wide Single 2+1 (WS2+1) to provide guaranteed eastbound overtaking. Additionally, a bypass of Crocketford was appraised as a long-term option but not ultimately recommended to be progressed at that time.

The first Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) , published in October 2009, recommended that Transport Scotland should implement a targeted programme of measures to improve links to the Loch Ryan port facilities. The recommendation was for short to medium term schemes such as physical works aimed at providing safer overtaking opportunities such as WS2+1 sections, climbing lanes and overtaking lay-bys, and improvements to the operation of junctions around Dumfries.

In January 2020, Transport Scotland published the South West Scotland Transport Study (SWSTS) - Initial Appraisal - Case for Change . The key aim of the report was to consider the rationale for improvements to road, rail, public transport and active travel on key strategic corridors in the South West of Scotland, including those served by the A75, A76, A77, A701 and A709 as well as the railway corridors to Stranraer and Carlisle via Kilmarnock / Dumfries with a particular focus on access to the Loch Ryan port facilities. Following the development of the Transport Planning Objectives, and a process of option sifting and packaging, 23 multi-modal option packages across the study area were identified for further appraisal through the STPR process. Option Package 15 related specifically to the A75 and was described as the development of capacity enhancement measures on the A75, such as partial dualling, town/village bypasses and improved overtaking opportunities.

The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) , published in December 2022 by Transport Scotland, presented the Strategic Case for improved access to Stranraer and the Loch Ryan port facilities as Recommendation 40. Within this there are examples of improvement schemes one of which being A75 realignment around Springholm and Crocketford. These are the only two settlements on the A75 corridor not currently bypassed, and also where the speed limit drops to 30 mph.

In March 2024, Scottish Ministers were formally granted funding from the Union Connectivity Development Fund to progress Recommendation 40 from STPR2, specifically to progress initial design and assessment work in relation to the realignment of the A75 around Springholm and Crocketford. The Fund is an outcome of Sir Peter Hendy’s Union Connectivity Review (UCR), published in November 2021. Within the UCR there is a recommendation that the UK Government offer funding to the Scottish Government in order to support the upgrade of the existing A75 Trunk Road which would improve journeys between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The UK Government changed following a General Election held in July 2024 and the incumbent UK Government re-confirmed its commitment to funding of the initial design and assessment work.

Background to the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Stage 1 Assessment

On 26 November 2024, Transport Scotland commissioned Jacobs UK Limited to progress design and assessment work in relation to the realignment of the existing A75 Trunk Road around Springholm and Crocketford. The commission included the requirement to undertake a Strategic Assessment, DMRB Stage 1 Assessment (should this be necessary depending on the outcome of the Strategic Assessment), DMRB Stage 2 Assessment and public and stakeholder engagement for the A75 Springholm and Crocketford Improvements, hereafter referred to as the proposed scheme.

The Strategic Assessment was developed to identify what is required to progress from the strategic-level appraisal undertaken previously as part of the STPR2 and the next stages of more detailed DMRB scheme assessments. The Strategic Assessment recommended that consideration is given to undertaking a DMRB Stage 1 Scheme Assessment for the A75 Springholm and Crocketford Improvements. This would be specific to the proposed scheme and would fulfil the additional DMRB Stage 1 Assessment requirements to bridge the progression from the strategic case (STPR2) through to the more detailed requirements of a DMRB Stage 2 Assessment. The Strategic Assessment also informed the development of the scheme objectives which are as follows:

  • Reduce the environmental impacts and severance caused by strategic traffic using the A75 trunk road within Springholm and Crocketford, by achieving a reduction in traffic by at least 50%, and enhance placemaking opportunities from year of opening.
  • Improve the resilience and reliability of the A75 trunk road, including for freight travelling to and from the ports at Cairnryan, by reducing time lost due to slower moving vehicles and incidents locally to increase the average speed and reduce the variation in average speed from year of opening.
  • Reduce local accident rates and severity through reducing KSIs by 65% in line with Road Safety Framework targets, and contribute to improving safety on the A75 trunk road within five years of opening.
  • Contribute towards sustainable economic growth locally and for the region by creating potential for local land-use opportunities to increase planning applications over the longer term.
  • Increase sustainable travel choices and increase the local sustainable transport mode share by 50%, within a year of opening.

In accordance with Transport Scotland guidance for the Design of trunk roads , the DMRB Stage 1 Assessment was undertaken in line with DMRB TD 37/93 - Scheme Assessment Reporting . The DMRB Stage 1 Assessment is a preliminary assessment and involves a broad, strategic approach to develop and assess indicative improvement strategies. The assessment includes the identification and consideration of environmental, engineering, economic and traffic advantages, disadvantages and constraints associated with the improvement strategies.

The DMRB Stage 1 Assessment Corridor for the proposed scheme, hereafter referred to as the assessment corridor, is shown in Appendix A, Figure A1-1. The assessment corridor has been defined by considering existing constraints and potential improvement strategies through which road alignments could be developed to realign the existing A75 around Springholm and Crocketford, taking account of relevant road design standards in the DMRB. The assessment corridor includes approximately 18.5km of the existing A75 between the Allanton and Drummore roundabouts extending close to Clarebrand, Old Bridge of Urr and Kirkpatrick Durham to the north and encompassing Haugh of Urr, Hardgate and Milton to the south. This length of the existing A75 is predominantly comprised of a single carriageway with three overtaking sections (two in the westbound direction and one in the eastbound direction). Six improvement strategies have been developed within the assessment corridor as described in the section on the Description of Proposed Scheme in this report. Five of the improvement strategies are offline and would bypass the settlements of Springholm and Crocketford and one is online and would pass through Springholm and Crocketford. This report will describe the development and assessment of the improvement strategies within the assessment corridor.

Following the DMRB Stage 1 Assessment, a DMRB Stage 2 Assessment will be undertaken. DMRB Stage 2 will involve the development and assessment of route options within the improvement strategies taken forward from DMRB Stage 1. The outcome of the DMRB Stage 2 Assessment will be the identification of a preferred route option.

Future progress would require completion of a DMRB Stage 3 Assessment which would involve further design development and assessment of the preferred route option. Statutory processes (including publication of draft Orders, an Environmental Impact Assessment Report and a Public Local Inquiry if required) would require to be successfully completed before consideration could be given to a procurement process to appoint a contractor and subsequent construction of the project.

Stakeholders

There are numerous stakeholders with an interest in the proposed scheme. Key Statutory Bodies include but are not limited to:

  • Transport Scotland
  • Dumfries and Galloway Council
  • Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
  • NatureScot
  • Historic Environment Scotland (HES)
  • Health and Safety Executive
  • Public Utility Companies

In addition to the above Statutory Bodies, there are numerous other parties with interest in the above scheme, including but not limited to:

  • Sustrans
  • The Macauley Institute for Soil Research
  • The South West Scotland Transport Alliance
  • Port of Cairnryan
  • Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
  • Forestry and Land Scotland / Scottish Forestry
  • Scottish Wildlife Trust
  • Galloway Fisheries Trust
  • National Farmers Union
  • The British Geological Society
  • Cycling UK
  • Local and National Haulage Companies
  • Bus operators and other public transport operators
  • Community Councils
  • Landowners and residents

Studies, Policy and Strategy Documents

As part of the Strategic Assessment , a review was carried out to identify previous studies, policy and strategy documents relating to the A75. The following specifically reference the A75:

National

Regional

Local

Structure of this DMRB Stage 1 Assessment Report

This report is structured as follows:

  • Introduction: Background to the A75 Springholm and Crocketford Improvements and the DMRB Stage 1 Assessment.
  • Existing Conditions: General description of the existing conditions along the existing A75 Trunk Road.
  • Description of Proposed Scheme: Description of the improvement strategies developed within the DMRB Stage 1 Assessment Corridor.
  • Engineering Assessment: Engineering assessment, including constraints, advantages and disadvantages associated with road alignment, potential types of cross-section, geotechnical, structures, junctions, lay-bys/rest areas, provision for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders (WCH), roadside features and public utilities.
  • Environmental Assessment: Summary of findings from the Environmental Appraisal Report (EAR) for the improvement strategies in relation to environmental issues, potential impacts and sustainability measures.
  • Traffic and Economic Assessment: Summary of baseline traffic conditions, potential future conditions which may impact assessment, and a qualitative analysis of the traffic and economic effects of the improvement strategies.
  • Key Findings and Recommendations: Key findings from the assessment of the improvement strategies including recommendations for DMRB Stage 2.