Information Transport Scotland holds relating to various infrastructure projects: EIR release

Information requested

There are a number of infrastructure projects on the Transport Scotland website where there is no current information available on the cost or status of the projects. For the following projects, could you please provide information on the current status and the final outturn cost, or the most recent cost estimate that the Scottish Government holds where the final cost is not available:

• A68 Pathhead to Tynehead
  (https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/a68-pathhead-to-tynehead/)
• A702 Candymill Bend/Edmonston Brae carriageway realignment (https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/a702-candymill-bendedmonston-brae-carriageway-realignment/)
• A95 Lackghie Carriageway Realignment (https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/a95-lackghie-carriageway-relignment/)
• A96 Threapland Junction Improvements (https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/a96-threapland-junction-improvements/)
• A737 Improvements at Beith
  (https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/a737-improvements-at-beith/)

Response

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

Transport Scotland does not hold details of final outturn costs for the projects listed in your request, as none of these projects have progressed to construction. The current status for these projects are that the statutory procedures are complete. The most recent cost estimates that Transport Scotland holds for the projects listed in your request are:

Project	Most Recent Cost Estimate (exc VAT)
A68 Pathhead to Tynehead	£14m (February 2019 prices)
A702 Candymill Bend/Edmonston Brae	£5.55m (February 2019 prices)
A95 Lackghie Carriageway Realignment	£5.1m (February 2019 prices)
A96 Threapland Junction	£4.68m (June 2012 prices) (This project is now subsumed within the larger A96 Hardmuir to Fochabers project)
A737 Improvement at Beith	£17.5m (March 2019 prices)

About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.