Months of roadworks ahead to fix Greenock flooding blackspot

Drivers in Greenock are being warned of months roadworks on the A8 through the spring and summer which will cause tailbacks but could pave the way for a solution to a regular flooding blackspot.

From Monday 27 February the section between Douglas Rae Road and Pottery Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction,

The closure is to allow Scottish Water engineers to dig trial holes to check for the location of underground pipes and cables as they draw up plans for a £2.5million flood alleviation project.

The main carriageway works planned to take place later in the spring.

Recent flooding

Georgina Reid, Scottish Water’s regional affairs manager in the west, said: “The recent flooding on this road was a stark reminder of how vital it is for us to deliver this much needed project.

“We will need to divert a gas main and re-route a water main before upgrading the existing sewer pipe and connecting it to the new Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) we are constructing beneath the council’s Pottery Street depot.

“We are advising road users to allow extra time for their journeys to offset any possible delays.”

Roadworks all summer

Construction of the new CSO began at the start of January. Once completed towards the end of April, the work will move out onto the A8 for approximately five months.

Georgina Reid added: “We are acutely aware of the sensitivities involved in this project and the potential disruption for the wider travelling public and local people.

“There has been considerable planning, modelling, and discussion over many months to deliver much-needed protection against flooding on this arterial route.

“We are confident by keeping the road open, giving significant advance notice, and with the cooperation of road users we can avoid major delays over what is a relatively short period of time.”

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