ROADS bosses have ruled out any work starting this year on repairs to a vital Inverclyde countryside route — and say there is no guarantee it can even be fixed.
Dunrod Road, which leads to Loch Thom, has been shut since the end of July of 2022 because it is considered to be in danger of collapse. Since then, the only vehicle access to Greenock Cut visitor centre at Cornalees has been via Old Largs Road.
Councillors agreed in September 2023 that a new stretch of road should be built, at an estimated cost of £2million, but investigation work showed that the ground conditions are highly variable which would add £2.5million to the project because of the amount of slope stabilisation and drainage required.
In March, Inverclyde Council’s environment and regeneration committee heard that route realignment was no longer a viable option. It agreed to look again at repairing the road, at an estimated cost of £1.65million to £2million.
The latest update from officials states: “External engineering consultants have been engaged to progress the design and scope the further ground investigation required which is currently progressing on site.
“The ground investigation outputs will inform the detailed design for the road reconstruction and improvement works and the preparation of tender documentation for procurement of a contractor.”
But interim environment director Eddie Montgomery told councillors: “We have been at pains to say all along we can’t provide any guarantees that there’ll be a technical solution for this. So there’s still a risk that we won’t come up with a technical solution for it.
“That said, we hope that there is and the work will present us with that. At the moment we are hoping to get feedback from the ground investigation that allows us to conclude the design and get something to tender this side of the calendar year but it is very much dependent on what comes back from this investigation.
“We are certainly not looking at any work starting earlier than next year and I can’t define a contract period just now.”
Council leader Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “I share the frustration of members of the public and businesses about the delay and I think that the concern of elected members is reflected in the fact we organised a site visit. Those of us who attended are better able to understand the scale of the challenge in producing a long-term solution.
“Even if we spend a lot of money on this road, there is no absolute guarantee that we won’t face problems in the future given the nature of the topography at that location. It’s very, very challenging.”
