Council's Mossland Road surfacing starts this week
13/10/2010
Renfrewshire Council is to undertake the complete reconstruction of Mossland Road, with works scheduled to begin on October 18, taking five weeks to complete.
The project is costing a six-figure sum and, in order to maintain access to local workplaces for staff, will be carried out in three phases – starting at the western end of the road and moving in two more stages further east. The works will also take in adjacent parts of Abercorn Avenue and Kelvin Avenue.
For these reasons, a complex series of traffic diversions is being put into place, changing for each stage of the works, and Hillington users will have to exercise patience to negotiate their way to and from premises affected.
The project is much more than simply a resurfacing job, as the road is one of the original Hillington estate carriageways which were constructed in concrete before World War Two. Although later covered in a surface of tarmac, with successive deep frosts in the intervening 70 years, the original slabs have suffered upheavals which have caused the tarmac to move and to break up under ever-increasing axle loading from modern haulage vehicles.
The Council is responsible for the maintenance of most of the roads within Hillington Park to the west of Hillington Road. In recent years, it has successfully carried out a comprehensive, fully-engineered reconstruction of Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Kelvin Avenue, Earl Haig Road and Montrose Avenue – all of which were originally laid – in something of a hurry, one suspects – in the pre-War years to service the Rolls-Royce aero engine factory’s needs.
Mossland Road is therefore the last of the major carriageways to get the full Council treatment. According to a Council spokesman, this involves excavation of carriageways to the concrete foundations, which will then be covered with ‘a glass grid’ to reinforce the substructure before several layers of fresh materials and tarmac complete the works.
New kerbing will be installed throughout, and footpaths will also be reconstructed and renewed where required.
The spokesman added that the Council had this project in its sights last year, but had insufficient budget available until now.
Councillor Marie McGurk, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Environment and Infrastructure Policy Board, told the Hillington Herald: “This work represents a significant investment in our industrial infrastructure. We will be working with local businesses to try and reduce any disruption to a minimum.
“Hillington was Scotland’s first-ever industrial estate and this road has done sterling service since it was laid in 1938. But it is now time to rebuild it. Over the next five weeks, the foundations will be strengthened and the road will be resurfaced. New kerbs will also be installed along with new footpaths where necessary.”
Innes Jackson, Estates Manager for MEPC Hillington Park, said: “The reconstruction of Mossland Road has been one of our top priorities, and I’m sure everyone will welcome this investment by the Council. The short-term disruption will be well worth enduring, and the results will undoubtedly make this part of North Hillington more attractive to potential customers as well as existing users.”
