WORK is underway on the £4million road improvement project on the A78 at Inverkip, paving the way for 650 new homes.
The upgrade of the trunk road at the village is scheduled to last until November.
The project is the third of three Glasgow City Region City Deal schemes being delivered by Inverclyde Council with the help of £3.6million of external funding — £1.8million each from the UK and Scottish governments. The local authority is contributing £570,000.
The project will see traffic light junctions installed at Main Street and Kip Marina to address long-running road safety issues on the A78 and a T-junction created at Brueacre to open up access to the former Inverkip Power Station site, which is earmarked for up to 650 new homes.
Anticipated key dates for the project are:
Brueacre junction west: (24 March to 8 November 2025)
Temporary traffic lights in place from 28 April to 8 November 2025
Inverkip Marina (Harbourside) /Main Street junctions: (31 March to 28 November 2025)
Temporary traffic lights in place until 25 April]
Narrow Lanes in place from 28 April to 8 November 2025
Temporary traffic lights from 10 November to 28 November
A new dedicated webpage has launched providing key information and updates about the project.
Councillor Michael McCormick, Inverclyde Council’s convener of environment and regeneration, said: “This project has been a long time in the making and a huge amount of work and effort has gone on in the background with a variety of partner organisations to get to this stage so it’s pleasing that work is now underway.
“The A78 is a busy trunk road so there will be disruption and challenges over the coming months but council officers have worked closely with our main contractor and other partners to try and keep disruption to a minimum.
“We would like to thank road users and Inverkip residents in advance for their patience and understanding as we progress this important project.
“It’s worth remembering though that the aim of this project is to improve road safety along the A78, which has been a troublesome area for many years and improve access to the former Inverkip Power Station site to unlock major investment there and pave the way for hundreds of new homes and jobs.
“This is the third and final Inverclyde City Deal project following on from the delivery of the stunning new Greenock Ocean Terminal and the Inchgreen Marine Park. With support from both the UK and Scottish governments, we are delivering positive change for the village, Inverclyde and the wider city region.”
UK Government Minister for Scotland, Kirsty McNeill, said: “This is another great example of the UK and Scottish Governments working together with Inverclyde Council for the benefit of people in the area.
“Between both governments our £3.6million investment will create hundreds of jobs and homes and boost road safety along the A78 through Inverkip.”
Scottish Government Investment Minister, Tom Arthur, said: “We are contributing £1.8 million towards the transformation of the former Inverkip Power Station site into a thriving coastal community. This will boost the region’s economy by supporting up to 650 homes and 520 jobs.”
Alan Aitkenhead, ScottishPower’s land and estates Director, said: “It’s great to see these works getting underway and progressing the next chapter for the former Inverkip Power Station site. I look forward to seeing the improved road network taking shape over the coming months.”
Stephen Hardie, portfolio director at Balfour Beatty, said: “We are pleased to start work on this important infrastructure project, which will enhance road safety and unlock long-term growth in Inverkip.
“We are committed to working closely with the local community to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum whilst these essential improvement works are ongoing.”
The Inverkip project was first put forward in 2014. Since then proposed elements of the project have evolved with the main change being the Brueacre Junction becoming a T-junction rather than a roundabout as originally planned.
This follows further design development and transport modelling around future capacities for the village which concluded that greater space would be required for a roundabout. The new proposals are also more cost-effective.
The project is aimed at paving the way for redevelopment of the former Inverkip Power Station site and potentially deliver:
— 650 residential properties
— 400 construction jobs and 120 jobs in follow-on development
— £28million construction gross value added (GVA) impact
— £4million annual ongoing operational gross value-added impact for Inverclyde and £6million for the Glasgow City Region
Inverkip is a regional regeneration priority that recognises the need to address vacant and derelict land, open a significant redevelopment opportunity site, address housing needs supporting population growth and secure economic and environmental benefit.
