A Borders MSP and the region’s Chamber of Commerce has called for the A1 through the Borders to be upgraded.
The pleas to the Scottish Government have been made after the UK Government announced the section of the road between Newcastle and Berwick-Upon-Tweed would be improved.
John Lamont, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, said: “Upgrading the A1 would provide a huge economic boost to the Borders, while also providing a road that is safer and faster to travel on.
“There is growing pressure on the SNP to invest in this route and I hope that they start to listen to the many people who are calling for it to be improved.”
James Aitken, convener of the Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce, echoed Mr Lamont’s appeal to the Scottish Government.
He added: “They should grasp the thistle on this without delay.
“It would not be a major expense compared with other planned road projects as nearly two thirds of the A1 in Scotland is already dual carriageway.
“Upgrading the rest would make the road quicker and safer and would be a major boost not only for the Borders, through which it passes, but also Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland.
“It would be something of a national embarrassment if the road were to be improved to dual carriageway status for the whole length of England, only for a few miles of the road in Scotland to be left as a single carriageway.”