Regional transport body Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has invested almost £5 million in East Ayrshire in the past five years, a new report has revealed.

The report, ‘SPT: Delivering for East Ayrshire’, shows nearly £4 million of capital funding was awarded to support a range of sustainable transport projects in the area between 2017 and 2021.

Almost £1 million of additional money was also awarded to East Ayrshire Council in 2021/22 to support their delivery.

The investment includes funding of over £1.4 million to help Ayrshire Roads Alliance complete the A70 Road Realignment project near Glenbuck.

The 800 metre stretch of the route, which is one of the main access roads to Ayrshire, had been considered substandard in terms of its alignment, carriageway width and forward visibility.

In 2020, a major refurbishment of Cumnock Bus Station was completed by the council with £750,000 of support from SPT.

East Ayrshire is one of is one of 12 council areas to benefit from funding provided by SPT.

Valerie Davidson, chief executive of SPT, said: “We continue to deliver a range of services in East Ayrshire and across the region either directly or on behalf of councils.

“As this report shows, we have invested almost £5 million over the last five years in sustainable transport projects in the area.

“SPT’s activities support the west of Scotland’s regional transport network to the benefit of all residents who travel across the area.

“While the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in significant impacts on our operational activities due to reduced travel demand, the majority of services were maintained to ensure transport remained in place for key workers and those making essential trips.”