Glasgow City Council has begun rolling out a major upgrade of the city’s road network as part of a three‑year £119 million investment programme. The city‑wide initiative will see extensive improvements to road carriageways, footways, drainage, lighting and key pieces of transport infrastructure.
The programme includes a wide range of resurfacing, repair and maintenance works designed to improve the condition, safety and resilience of Glasgow’s streets. Upgrades will be carried out across all 23 council wards, ensuring every part of the city benefits.
An extra £20 million has been allocated specifically for road carriageway improvements, enabling resurfacing on more than 800 streets over the three‑year period.
Although the council’s Roads teams initially focused on technical design and preparation, they have already resurfaced almost 140 carriageways during the current financial year, with further projects due to complete in the coming weeks.
The programme will significantly accelerate in the next financial year (2026/27), with resurfacing planned for over 400 streets, ensuring 227 km of Glasgow’s roads will have been resurfaced by March 2027.
Resurfacing on more than 230 city footways is also scheduled for completion by the end of 2026/27.
The work programme for 2027/28 is still being finalised, but early estimates suggest the additional investment will support a further 200 carriageway resurfacing projects, helping prolong the life of the city’s road network and address long‑standing maintenance needs.
The council anticipates replacing 9,000 street lighting columns over the next three years and installing LED lamps on every lighting column city‑wide — a move aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing long‑term maintenance costs.
Major infrastructure improvements include:
- Work on the Shieldhall viaduct, allowing it to reopen to heavy goods vehicles
- Further maintenance in the Clyde Tunnel
- A dedicated drainage improvement programme, including repairs and replacement of gully pots and connecting pipework
- Upgrades to traffic signals at junctions across Glasgow
Additional maintenance will be carried out on road markings, roadside gullies, bollards, street barriers and other street furniture.
The council has confirmed that funding will be directed to the areas of highest need, but all 23 city wards will see improvement works mapped and scheduled over the coming years.
Cllr Laura Doherty, City Convener for Neighbourhood Services and Assets, commented:
"As a council we have been listening to the feedback from Glasgow's residents and we know they want a focus on our roads network. The investment package we have put together is substantial and it will make a big difference to the city's roads and footways.
"The extra £20m set aside for carriageway repairs alone is considerable and people will see a noticeable reduction in potholes as a result of the planned investment..
"But the programme also covers a much wider range of work and people will also see clear improvements to street lighting, drainage, road safety measures and traffic lights.
"Our roads network is a top priority for the council. Our investment will help to create a safer, more efficient roads network that benefits all road users."
The programme aims to create a safer, more accessible, and more resilient transport network for residents, businesses and visitors, supporting the long‑term development of Glasgow’s urban infrastructure.
Image credit: iStock
