Delayed work on Sauchiehall Street stops for two week summer break
Building work will stop later this week for the Glasgow Fair holiday fortnight.
Delayed work to renovate Sauchiehall Street that has turned a key section of the city centre into a building site will stop for two weeks this month. The avenues project to relay the street surface and change the urban realm should have been finished by this summer but the projected end day is now shortly before Christmas.
Despite the pressing need for progress to release the key retail street from the pressures and disruption of ongoing building work, contractors will stop laying the new paving, planting new trees and installing a pit drainage system during the Glasgow Fair holiday fortnight.
A section of the pedestrianised area, from Rose Street to Hope Street is behind an extended run of barriers that take up much of the middle of the street. Work will stop on Thursday and workers will return on Monday 29 July.
When work on a section of Sauchiehall Street got underway last year, pedestrians raised concerns after trees were cut down. At the time, the council said they would be replaced by “healthier” trees.
Some have also complained about the state of the middle section of the street while regeneration work has been ongoing. Labour councillor Philip Braat, whose ward covers the city centre, said communication with the public over a similar scheme on Sauchiehall Street has “not been the best”.
“Certainly not when it comes to the middle section, with the removal of trees etc,” he said, adding it had been a “debacle”.
Cllr Braat said: “I think communication is key, not only with local residents but also with other stakeholders. It is important that we get the next set of projects absolutely right.”
He added the programme must take into consideration the impact on elderly people and those with visual impairments, ensuring they “can walk safely”.
Roads, pavements and footways on Sauchiehall Street are being reconstructed, with new kerbing, traffic signals, dozens of trees, rain gardens and street lighting planned. Work began in September last year.
The £5.7 million project will connect to Rose Street and stretch to West Nile Street, with the connecting Cambridge Street Avenue stretching to Cowcaddens Road.
The Sauchiehall Precinct and Cambridge Street Avenue project is part of the Glasgow City Region City Deal which is funded by the Scottish and UK Governments. It is the second Avenues project on Sauchiehall Street, after the pilot scheme focused on the area between Charing Cross and Rose Street. The council has said the summer break in work will not impact the expected completion date by the end of December.
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: “The work currently taking place at Cambridge Street and Sauchiehall Street will – when complete – significantly improve the roads, pavements and footways there, with cycle paths, new lighting and new street trees (more than were in place before) amongst the features to be introduced.
“We are very aware of the disruption this work can bring and its impact on the appearance of the area, but when all the work is complete, the environment on Cambridge Street and this part of Sauchiehall Street will be far more attractive for everyone who visits the area.
“Forthcoming projects and proposals on Sauchiehall Street and the streets close to it will help to regenerate one of our greatest and most famous thoroughfares.”