Glasgow leaders to splash £16m on pothole repairs

Council chiefs in Glasgow are to launch a £16 million blitz on potholes after the authority doubled investment in the city's roads and walkways.

Glasgow Council has announced it will spend £16m on fixing potholes

An extra £8m will be ploughed into repairs targeting at least 20,000 potholes.

The authority has also said it will resurface more than 200 residential streets and 30 miles of pavements, in addition to carrying out permanent patch repairs the size of 23 football pitches.

Council leader Frank McAveety said: “Glaswegians have every right to expect good roads and pavements - and I want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to deliver the big investment required to match their expectations.

“We have already secured real improvements in the city centre and on some of our busiest routes across the city - but this additional cash will allow us to reach further into our communities and repair more residential streets than ever before.”

The authority said it is usually allocated a small amount of Government revenue to maintain roads, pavements and lighting.

But it has used capital investment to bolster its road repairs programme and committed £8m to tackle defects in the current financial year. The fresh cash injection takes this year’s extra spending to £16m.

Officers have carried out consultation with the public, community councils and elected members to prioritise projects across the city.

Engineers are also studying safety reports, public complaints and previous compensation claims, plus reports from bus and taxi drivers to target areas where spending will have the maximum impact.

The £16m capital investment during 2016-17 includes £6.25m on road surface treatments, £4m on road patching, £3.5m on road resurfacing, £1.25m on footways and £1m on road lining.

Mr McAveety added: “Our investment in Glasgow’s roads is unprecedented in Scotland.

“That is good news for all road users - from drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to businesses that rely on Glasgow’s infrastructure, create jobs and drive our economy.”