Surface dressing work is planned for roads across the Rosneath Peninsula year as part of a £10m roads improvement programme for Argyll and Bute.
All unclassified roads in Cove, Kilcreggan, Rosneath and Clynder are in line for the controversial treatment, as well as part of the A817 Haul Road through Glen Fruin.
Work totalling £7.4m had been scheduled for this year, with the Helensburgh and Lomond area allocated just under £900,000.
But in last month’s budget the council approved an extra £2.6m, which has still to be allocated to projects.
Helensburgh and Lomond is always allocated far less money for road repairs than the authority’s other three areas, since the funding is divided according to the amount of road surface in each area.
When the B833 in Rosneath had surface dressing two years ago drivers and pedestrians were still complaining about loose chippings six months after the work was complete.
No surface dressing was carried out in the current financial year because of Covid-19 restrictions although some preparatory work was done.
Surface dressing planned for the 2021-22 financial year includes:
- The centre section of the Haul Road at an estimated cost of £110,000
- All unclassified roads in Cove – £30,000
- All unclassified roads in Kilcreggan – £85,000
- All unclassified roads in Rosneath – £40,000
- All unclassified roads in Clynder – £20,000
In a report to last week’s meeting of the council’s environment, development and infrastructure committee, executive director Kirsty Flanagan states: “Surface dressing schemes are selected on the basis that, either the skid resistance of the road surface is poor, or the road surface requires sealing before it fails.
“The surface dressing element of the programme will be delivered by an external contractor.
“This enables the maximum surface area to be covered which will help to seal carriageway cracks, prevent the ingress of water and reduce the amount of reactive maintenance for potholes.”
The most expensive roadworks scheduled are overlay and drainage of the Carman Road, costing £120,000, and £125,000 for patching and high friction surfacing at Cats Castle near Cardross.
Vehicle safety fencing costing £20,000 will be instaslled at the Portincaple junction of the A814, while inlay is planned for Old Luss Road and Athole Street in Helensburgh (£40,000) and the A814 between the Rhu Inn and School Road (£50,000).
Other projects include:
- Inlay, drainage and kerbing at the Faslane North Gate roundabout – £55,000
- Inlay and a footway on Lever Road – £72,500
- Overlay of hairpin bends on the C70 in Glen Fruin
- And inlay for several Helensburgh roads – Sinclair Street to Grant Street, Machrie Drive, Kennedy Drive and a junction of West Princes Street.
Council leader Robin Currie said: “We accept that many of our roads are in a bad way and we have listened to our communities.
“This was reflected in our budget decision and as a priority we are putting as much resource as is possible into addressing the situation. With cuts to our capital budget, this limits what we can do with infrastructure projects.
“£10m represents a significant investment in our roads network. We are working hard to support Argyll and Bute’s economic recovery post-Covid.
“This includes showcasing Argyll and Bute as a great place to live, work and invest and improving and maintaining our roads is a big part of that.”
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