LIZ CAMERON

Later this month, the Queensferry Crossing will finally open to traffic, securing the future of cross-Forth road transport through a world class piece of infrastructure that will be far more resilient to bad weather and disruption than the existing 1964 Forth Road Bridge. Chambers of Commerce across Scotland were at the forefront of the campaign to secure an additional bridge over the Forth in order to provide the best possible connectivity for the east of Scotland economy and we are delighted to see a long-held ambition come to fruition.

The Queensferry Crossing has been 10 years in the making, from being given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government to the first vehicles being driven across it. Whilst there have been debates over the cost and capacity and delays in completion, it is nonetheless a magnificent achievement that has delivered contracts and jobs in Scotland and long term strategic connectivity for our economy. It is one of a number of major road transport projects that are satisfying regional and national infrastructure needs, from the completion of the M74, to the upgrading of the M8 gap, to the forthcoming Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. Rail has not been forgotten either, with the electrification of the main Glasgow to Edinburgh railway and the reinstatement of the Borders railway, to name but two major projects.

With most of these projects now complete or nearing completion, the question now turns to where the next phase of major infrastructure developments will take place. Investing in our connectivity infrastructure is important for two reasons. Firstly, it provides construction employment in the short term and, secondly, it makes doing business easier in the longer term, making businesses more accessible and reducing costs, resulting in prolonged benefits to the economy.

While transport infrastructure will remain crucial – and become greener as the internal combustion engine gradually gives way to electric and clean fuel vehicle technology – it is digital connectivity that will become the principal facilitator of economic growth this century. Fast data opens up business opportunities in every corner of Scotland in a way that transport links never could, placing even remote communities at the centre of the digital world. Even with recent advances, I believe that our digital ambitions in Scotland remain too limited. We must embrace the absolute need for ultrafast digital technology – and the skills to exploit it – and invest for our future.

Liz Cameron is chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce