AN immediate investment of £240,000 for safety measures on the A7 has been announced.

And further issues - including improvements to the A1 and A68 as well as extending the Borders Railway - will be examined as part of a Strategic Transport Projects Review for the region.

Government minister Humza Yousaf made the announcement this week in response to a submission of an A7 Action Plan by campaigners last year.

Transport Scotland reviewed the document towards the end of last year and have now announced their findings.

The Transport Minister told us: "A comprehensive review of the A7 Action plan has been completed by Transport Scotland and we are updating campaigners as to how we can make timely improvements to the safety and operation of the route.

“The programme of work being put forward in the coming months will address many of the issues brought forward by the A7 Action Group and our commitment to the A7 is on-going.

"Our annual maintenance programme, which has seen investment of more than £23 million since 2007, continues and the A7 is reviewed annually to establish where safety improvements can be made."

The A7 Action Group, which is made up of politicians, councillors and community representatives, marked its 25th anniversary by compiling and presenting its vision for the carriageway in the future.

Just three years after the A7 Action Group's inception in 1990, the Scottish Office agreed to carry out £12.5million worth of upgrades over a 10 year period on the carriageway.

And ever since the lobbying group has continued to press for improvements.

The A7 Action Plan – 2015 Onwards, which was presented to Transport Scotland last summer, includes a series of safety proposals and potential projects following consultation with nine community councils along the 93-miles route.

Some of the ideas put forward fall outside the scope of the current work programme but Transport Scotland confirmed it is to start work on a pre-appraisal study to help determine the future transport needs in the Borders.

This initial work will examine the case for extending the Borders Railway along with improvements to the A1, A7 and A68 and will then be used as input to the Strategic Transport Projects Review.

Mr Yousaf added: "Transport Scotland will be holding further discussions with the A7 Action Group on progress to make sure that they are kept fully up to date and that representatives are given the opportunity to raise any concerns.

“Some of the items on the Action Plan fall outside the scope of our current programmes but nothing is being ruled out for the future.

"We are undertaking a review of the National Transport Strategy and Strategic Transport Projects Review within the current parliament to establish what transport in Scotland should look like in the coming years.

"The process will include the opportunity for stakeholders, including the A7 Action Group, to contribute their views.

“The initial work for the Borders Transport Corridors study is getting underway to examine the case for extending the Borders Railway along with improvements to the A1, A7 and A68, with emerging findings to be reported by the end of 2017.”

The A7 Action Group met on Friday evening to discuss the announcement.

Councillor Gordon Edgar from the A7 Action Group welcomed the investment and the commitment to a further review. He said: "Transport Scotland recognises that investment is required in the A7 and this is good news.

"I am also pleased that the door hasn't been shut on long-term projects such as the Selkirk bypass."