Completition date for Aurs Road between Barrhead and Newton Mearns delayed for second time

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

Aurs Road has been under renovation since January 2024 and was initially set to take 12 months to complete, but it will not be completed until the spring of next year.

It was described as an “ambitious” and “transformative” upgrade to the link between Barrhead and Newton Mearns, but now local businesses are calling for compensation after being hit with eight-mile diversions.

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

Now, locals will have to wait at least another year.

The project aims to upgrade the single-carriageway road by replacing a bridge and creating a new 2.5-mile walking and cycling loop around Balgray Reservoir.

Aurs Road will remain closed until next spring. STV News

The council has said that subsidence has led to the project needing to be “redesigned”.

Owen O’Donnell, leader of East Renfrewshire Council, told STV News: “It’s a very complicated project.

“We always knew that from the start, but there have been some unforeseen issues with the development.

“Subsidence has led to us needing to redesign the project. The focus now is getting the project completed as quickly as possible and for the road to be opened safely.

“We completely recognise the frustrations of residents and businesses in the area.

“This is something that we didn’t want to happen, but it’s something we have to do in order to make sure that when the road is opened, it is open safely and that we deliver the project that we have anticipated, which will be transformational for East Renfrewshire.

“It will open up transport routes between the East and West side of the authority and will also open up the dams to Darnley Country Park, which is a hidden gem that is actually quite inaccessible at the moment.”

The local authority said that while there is not a mechanism for compensation for delays in road projects, businesses can get in touch with their economic development team for support.

The works are being funded through the Glasgow Region City Deal, which includes money from the UK and Scottish Governments, as well as East Renfrewshire Council.