County Down headquartered GRAHAM has announced that it has been appointed to upgrade Aurs Road between Barrhead and Newton Mearns in Glasgow.

The rod will be transformed from a single carriage, winding road into a safer, straighter road with an active travel route overlooking Balgray Resrvoir.

The construction company will work in collaboration with East Renfrewshire Council on the £22.68 million project which will begin on 8 January 2024. The project will be funded through £12.72m from the Glasgow City Region City Deal, with funding from the UK and Scottish Government, Transport Scotland through Sustrans' Places for Everyone programme and the Scottish Government's Bridge fund.

In order to facilitate the works, the road will be closed for 12 months until December 2024. Aurs Road will be inaccessible from the intersection of Springfield Road in Barrhead to the intersection of Stewarton Road in Newton Mearns. Alternative routes will be in place via Stewarton Road, Nitshill Road and Darnley Road.

Once complete, the planned improvements to Aurs Road will:

• Form a safer, more direct local route between Barrhead and Newton Mearns by straightening out two sections of the road and replacing a weak road bridge

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• Create an impressive waterside promenade with views overlooking Balgray Reservoir as part of a 2km active travel path connecting Barrhead and Newton Mearns to and through Dams to Darnley Country Park and providing a safe link for walking, cycling and wheeling

• Create a long-awaited 4km circular walking and cycling route around Balgray Reservoir for park visitors for the first time

• Pave the way for new visitor facilities at Dams to Darnley Country Park

East Renfrewshire Council Leader, Owen O'Donnell said:

"I'm delighted that work will be starting in January on the ambitious Aurs Road project. The delivery of a much improved and straightened road with active travel link - improving connections between Barrhead and Newton Mearns is fantastic news for our communities. I am excited to see work on the promenade and circular loop around Balgray Reservoir progress, making Dams to Darnley Country Park a more accessible and desirable location to go for a walk or cycle. While I appreciate that there will be some inconvenience caused by the road closure, the transformative impact of this project for generations to come will make the end result worthwhile."

Jim Armour, GRAHAM Contracts Manager said: "We're delighted to be appointed by East Renfrewshire Council to deliver the Aurs Road project. The upgrade of Aurs Road will transform this route for everyone, improving connections between Barrhead and Newton Mearns, providing a dedicated pedestrian, and cycling route around Balgray Reservoir – paving the way for new facilities in the future.

"Our track record of successfully delivering civil engineering projects stands as testament to our commitment for the highest standards of work, professionalism, and technical expertise. We are proud to be East Renfrewshire Council delivery partner on this transformative project.

"With works set to start on the 8th January, the project team will be working hard to ensure the site is ready for the main build phase – we’re looking forward to playing our part in this pivotal project and leaving a lasting legacy."