Problems delay £22.8m road upgrade by more than a year

The completion date for a £22.8m road upgrade in East Renfrewshire has been delayed by at least a year.

Construction work on Aurs Road between Barrhead and Newton Mearns started in January 2024 and was supposed to be completed in 12 months.

The project is meant to upgrade the single carriageway road by replacing a weak road bridge and creating a 2.5 mile (4km) walking and cycling loop around Balgray Reservoir.

However, East Renfrewshire Council has announced the project now will not now be completed until spring 2026.

The road closure has meant a diversion of approximately eight miles for drivers operating between Stewarton Road, Nitshill Road and Darnley Road, which has led to significant delays on the route.

The council said the project will make the road between Barrhead and Newton Mearns safer and straighter, and will include an active travel path and waterside promenade.

Initially, the road was scheduled to be closed for 12 months but a revised completion date of summer 2025 was announced in October.

A spokesperson for East Renfrewshire Council said “additional complexities” have led to the delay.

“Some ground conditions have not been as expected from the site investigations undertaken before the start of the project, we have had to move unmapped existing utilities, the summer weather has been unusually wet and we have excavated and removed a former water works, uncovered as the site was prepared for construction,” they said.

“We appreciate the inconvenience this delay and the extended road closure will have on local residents and thank everyone for their patience.”