THE bill for resurfacing a road in Ballingry has spiralled as it's been found to contain a substance that can cause cancer.

Cowdenbeath area committee heard that works on Lochleven Road could cost £316,681 as officers have found it contains coal tar.

A stretch of the B920, from Ballingry Crescent to the Fife boundary, is in the area roads programme with carriageway resurfacing planned for 2023-24.

Neil Watson, from roads and lighting asset management, told councillors: "It is quite an expensive scheme and the reason is that they've taken out some cores on the road and there's coal tar in there.

"It's a potentially carcinogenic material and if you elect to dig it out you have to get specialist disposal and there's nowhere in Scotland to dispose of it.

"It has to go to England.

"Having said all that, we're going to have a look at another option to get that cost down.

"We could opt to recycle the carriageway which means you don't take the material away, you just recycle it into the new construction.

"I can't say at this time if that's going to be a possibility.

"If it is the value of that scheme will come down quite significantly and will allow us to promote something else into the programme.

"That would be the good side of it."

Coal tar is a class one carcinogenic substance which can cause cancer.

In the ground it's safe to walk over but the problem arises when road surfaces become damaged or worn away.

Mr Watson said the £316,681 cost was the "worst case scenario" and that coal tar was found "all the way along" the road.

He added: "Off the top of my head, probably £100,000-150,000 would be the cost to get that material disposed so you would be saving that if we can recycle, but we need to get the specialist recycling contractor in to look at that.

"Once we know that information we'll come back."

Mr Watson confirmed it includes the same stretch of road that is to get new speed cushions and raised tables, to reduce the speed of traffic passing the 140 new homes in the Kirkland Farm development.

That was agreed earlier at the same meeting by the committee.

Also included in the area roads programme for 2023-24 are three carriageway schemes in Cowdenbeath.

Mossend Terrace, from Woodbank to Braemount, as well as the full length of Sinclair Drive and Woodend Place, will be resurfaced in a project estimated to cost £102,190.

The full length of Rae Street / South Street will be smoothed over, which should come to £40,950, while £12,656 of works are planned at Seco Place.

If any of these cannot be delivered, category two 'reserve list' projects could be done instead.

These include Ballingry Street in Lochgelly, from Berry Street to Francis Street, and the B922, from the Cluny roundabout to the railway bridge.

More than £100,000 of road safety and traffic calming measures are also planned, on Cardenden Road in Cluny, Black Road and Station Road in Kelty, Broad Street in Cowdenbeath – outside the primary school – and Kirkcaldy Road in Crossgates.