ALMOST £3million will be spent on East Ayrshire’s roads in the coming financial year up to March 31, 2018.

Ayrshire Roads Alliance is responsible, in both East and South Ayrshire, for maintenance of public roads, bridges, footways and footpaths; street lighting; traffic calming and road safety; roads design and structural design; parking enforcement and mobility; bus infrastructure and interchange facilities and winter maintenance.

As well as the £2.855m budgeted for carriageways in the region, £3m has been earmarked for the New Cumnock flood works and £1.4m to upgrade the A70 at Glenbuck.

Other available budgets, which were approved by the council’s cabinet earlier this year, are: Street lighting £0.250m; Traffic and road safety £0.345m; Bridges £2.25m; Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets (CWSS) £0.167m; Smarter Choices, Smarter Places £0.111m; SPT £0.680m; Sustrans £0.021m; and £0.11m Paths for All.

Ayrshire Roads Alliance will carry out the work through its combined roads operations unit, as well as a number of similar projects in South Ayrshire.

All have been approved as being compliant with the community plan for East Ayrshire Council and council plan for their counterparts in South Ayrshire.

Roads

Among the carriageway repairs already carried out are the B7037 Galston Road in Sorn and B743 Greenock Mains, between Sorn and Muirkirk, as well as Mauchline Hill Top.

Upgrades have also taken place at Glaisnock Street, Cumnock, Well Road in Auchinleck and Sorn Street, Catrine.

Extensive resurfacing has also been carried out at several locations on the B741 between Dalmellington and New Cumnock.

Scheduled work included in the structural maintenance programme, with their anticipated start dates, include the following locations:

  • September 25 — on the unclassified C50 near Ochiltree at Brackenhill Farm
  • October 2 — U75 Barneight, Mauchline
  • October 23 - U721 Dornal Road and U729 Glenmuir Road, both Logan Pavements Resurfacing of footpaths are included in the budget,

With start dates to be advised, at the following streets:

  • Auchinleck — between Beechwood Avenue and Boswell Drive.
  • Catrine — between Montgomerie Street and Sorn Street
  • Cumnock — the cul-de-sac at McQueen Ave
  • Cumnock — Hearth Place and Emrys Ave to Car Rd
  • Dalmellington — a section of Castle Croft
  • Drongan — Lane Crescent
  • Logan — A70 Holmhead to Lugar Bridge as well as several sections of Logan Avenue
  • Mauchline — at Loch Rd, Nursery Lane and Whole Street
  • Ochiltree — parts of Douglas Brown Avenue, Mauchline Road and Gallowlea Avenue
  • New Cumnock — A76 beside Glenafton FC at Loch View
  • Patna — all of Meikleholm Drive and two sections of Carnshalloch Avenue

Call 0845 724 0000 to report faults in East Ayrshire, concerning roads and pavements.

Parking

Ayrshire Roads Alliance Environmental Improvement Programme includes two locations in Cumnock and Doon Valley.

Their remit is to improve environment and road safety by reducing on-street parking problems at Hayhill, near Drongan, where a parking bay will be created and the roadside verge upgraded.

A similar project will take place at Hillcrest, Bellsbank, where six off-street parking bays will be built.

Bridges

Structural repairs are scheduled for:

  • Mill Lade Culvert, Cowan Place and Shellies Bridge, all in Catrine
  • Safety fencing at Rigg Road railway bridge in Cumnock
  • New Cumnock — Low Garclaugh Bridge will undergo scour repairs to remove sand and sediment

Safety

Anti-skid surfacing was laid at Blackrocks bend, on the A713 south of Dalmellington as well as associated road markings and signage in May.

Traffic calming is proposed for Townhead, Dalmellington, subject to public consultation.

Meanwhile costs are being assessed for possible speed reduction measures at Burnbrae in Drongan.

A similar scenario exists at Auchinleck where a parking review and possible updated Traffic Regulation Order may happen Likewise at Barony Road in the town where it is proposed to have a speed limit extension and bus stop lighting improvements.

Nearby at The Square in Cumnock, there will be a revision to traffic regulation order to prevent unauthorised access to the area.

At the adjacent Cumnock Bus Station a revamp is also being considered, which would address vandalism issues.