Building a better Scotland: our investment in infrastructure
by In government, the SNP has prioritised investment in infrastructure to improve public services, enhance connectivity, create jobs and grow our economy.
From new hospitals, schools, affordable homes to the longest new domestic railway line the UK has seen for 100 years, we’re building a better Scotland. Here’s just ten ways we’ve been doing just that.
We have delivered the £1.4 billion Queensferry Crossing. The new bridge is the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Over £5 billion has been invested in Scotland’s health infrastructure since 2007, including the South Glasgow Hospitals and Emergency Care Centre in Aberdeen. And nearly £500 million of new hospitals and healthcare facilities are expected to open in Scotland in 2017-18.
751 schools have been rebuilt or refurbished between 2007 and 2017 – more than twice as many as the previous Labour-LibDem administration.
We have delivered almost 72,500 affordable homes – including nearly 50,000 housing association or council homes. Over this parliament, we’ll deliver at least 50,000 – 35,000 of which will be for social rent.
We’re investing in our railways. The Borders Railway was completed on time and on budget – the longest new domestic railway built in Britain for a century. And, £742 million is being invested in improvements to the Edinburgh to Glasgow railway line, including widespread electrification of the network between the two cities and to Stirling and Dunblane.
We’re transforming Scotland’s road network. We’re upgrading Scotland’s motorways and have connected Glasgow and Edinburgh with continuous motorway for the first time. The first section of our £3 billion project to dual the A9 from Perth to Inverness has been completed and dualling of the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen is in preparation. And the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route is under construction too.
We’re also taking forward the Maybole bypass on the A77 and improving other sections south of Girvan, further improvements to the A75, and exploring how to better connect Dumfries and the M74.
We will invest £600 million to deliver superfast broadband to all by 2021. We’ve already achieved our target to deliver broadband to 95 per cent of properties in Scotland by the end of 2017.
Our £420 million ten year flood protection plan will benefit 10,000 families, with grant funding going to local authorities to fund 40 new flood protection projects.
We’re supporting a further £300 million of investment to deliver new campuses at City of Glasgow, Inverness and Ayrshire Colleges. And Forth Valley and Fife Colleges will share £140 million for new campuses too.