A councillor said it would be “disappointing” if it transpires the Aurs Road project is delayed after recently receiving assurances that the works are on track.

The £22.68 million transformation of Aurs Road between Barrhead and Newton Mearns began in January.

Once complete, the road will bring a more direct local route between Barrhead and Newton Mearns by straightening out two sections of the road and replacing a weak bridge.

A notice issued by the council ahead of the closure stated that the stretch will be shut for a maximum period of 18 months, however, it added that it is anticipated that the works will be completed and the road will be reopened by Monday, December 23.

At a meeting of the full council on June 26, Cllr Andrew Morrison asked if there is a delay in the road works and if “we are still on schedule for getting Aurs Road reopened as originally advertised.”

In response to the question, Caitriona McAuley, the local authority’s director of environment, told Cllr Morrison that “at present we are working on the assumption that the road will be delivered on time and there is no indication that there would be delays with that.”

“There may be delays with some of the active travel route but the road we are planning that will be complete by the end of this year and open in the new year,” she said.

Cllr Morrison said at the time, this was “very welcome news”, however, rumours have since been swirling that the project is significantly behind schedule.

As we reported earlier today (Thursday, July 25), the Barrhead News asked the council for an update on the progress of the works.

A spokesperson responded this week that the “the project is working to an agreed programme and regular meetings are held with the project managers and contractors" and that the council is "aware of recent issues with ground conditions at the site" and is "currently assessing what impact this will have on the project."

Cllr Morrison, who represents Newton Mearns North and Neilston, said he is currently awaiting a members briefing on the facts of the case.

He added: “The upgrade to Aurs Road will be a welcome improvement on what was there previously, but there is no getting away from the fact the closure of Aurs Road has been a major inconvenience to residents on both sides of the road.

“The original timetable was already a significant period of time for people to tolerate disruption, particularly for residents who have seen significant increases in the volume of traffic using backroads in and out of Neilston.

“So any further delays beyond that will be a massive disappointment and will represent longer disruption to residents.”

“As I was acutely aware of the trouble the closure has caused people, I took the opportunity to ask at the last council meeting in June if we were still on-track for the road being reopened and restrictions removed in December.

“I was categorically assured they were on track, so it would be disappointing if that has changed in the matter of a few weeks.”

In a further comment this evening (July 25), the local authority confirmed that they "only became aware that ground conditions could impact on the programme in recent days" and reiterated that the impact is currently being assessed.