Glasgow's roads need extra £8.5m per year just to stay in current condition

Glasgow’s roads need an extra £8.5m per year investment just to keep them in their current condition.

Almost £23m is spent on the city’s road network at present, but nearly £31.5m is required to maintain a “steady state”.

Over 40% of Glasgow’s 74,000 street lighting columns are beyond their expected service life while more than half of over 900 traffic signal installations need to be replaced.

READ MORE: Victorian drama series set in Glasgow has huge stars in line-up including Martin Compston

READ MORE: Motherwell Miss Scotland finalist walks free from court after facing claims of assaulting her mum

Both the Clyde Tunnel and Shieldhall Overpass require significant extra investment to carry out repairs.

The figures are revealed in an annual roads infrastructure status and options report, which is produced to inform the council’s budget setting process.

The document, which covers carriageways, lighting, traffic signals, footpaths, cycle routes and structures like bridges, will be presented to councillors next week.

Satisfaction with maintenance of the roads has fallen to the lowest level since 2011 (12%) while there has been a rise in public pothole reports to over 21,000.

Condition data found carriageways have “slightly deteriorated” over the past year, with 70.8% in acceptable condition. This is compared to the Scottish average of 65.9%.

The report recommends a £13.95m per year investment in carriageways over five years, which would then reduce the ongoing maintenance cost to £10.6m per annum.

“This investment scenario would result in Glasgow’s road network being in its best condition for over a decade,” it adds.

Officials say the “overall cost of the recommended improvement plan is less than the cost to preserve steady state”. Over 20 years, the recommended plan would cost £229m while the steady state investment would be £257m.

It is “cheaper to intervene early” than wait until “more extensive repairs are required”, the report adds

Deteriorating street lights are a “significant issue” which “poses an increasing risk to the public”. An increased inspection regime is underway to remove columns in the poorest condition.

Extra funding is needed but investment is currently below the £6m steady state figure. Current lighting spend of around £2.5m means they will “continue to deteriorate and the risk of injury by column collapse or exposure to electrical wiring will increase”.

Glasgow City Council is responsible for the Clyde Tunnel — the “busiest stretch of non-trunk road in Scotland” with around 64,000 vehicles each day.

However, the funding received for the “operation and maintenance of the Clyde Tunnel is the same amount per kilometre as for a standard stretch of local road”.

“Due to the operational and regulatory requirements of the Tunnel this equates to an annual shortfall of approximately £860,000,” the report states.

It adds the key investment needs for the tunnel currently total £15.6m. A business case is being prepared to support funding bids.

Over £4.3m has been secured to strengthen the Shieldhall Overpass but officials say an extra £3.4m is needed before work can start.

Data showed 87% of footways and 94% of the cycle network is in good or fair condition.

A council spokesman said: “This annual report provides detailed information on the current condition of all assets included in Glasgow’s roads network and sets out possible scenarios for future investment.

“The intention of the report is to inform debate among elected members when considering the options for the council’s annual budget.

“The council is fortunate to have a team of skilled and experienced roads engineers who always seek to maximise all available resources so the network can be maintained to the highest possible standard.

“To ensure the safety of all road users, we take a risk-assessed approach to maintaining the roads network so the most serious issues are always treated as a matter of priority.”

Sign up to our daily Glasgow Live newsletter here to receive news and features direct to your inbox