Disruption expected as Glasgow's Argyle Street undergoes revamp

Work on revamping one of Glasgow's busiest streets is to get under way next month.

The Argyle Street East Avenue project will see pavement areas redesigned and expanded, the creation of new public and green spaces, and the resurfacing of roads and cycle lanes.

It forms part of the city's overall £140m Avenues initiative, which is aimed at revitalising many streets within the city centre that the local authority say have been in decline.

However the plans are often criticised on social media by locals, who claim the work is causing disruption throughout the area. The Argyle Street East stage will start on 16 June.

The Argyle East Avenue will extend from Central Station to just beyond Glasgow Cross and is set to be delivered in four individual and phased sections along the route.

Councillor Angus Millar, the convener for City Centre Recovery at Glasgow City Council, said: "Argyle Street, Trongate and Glasgow Cross are such historic parts of town which have resonated with Glaswegians over generations, but they've undeniably endured decades of decline.

"This investment is about revitalising these famous streets, complementing the hundreds of millions of pounds of development which is emerging in the area and giving real confidence to this part of the city."

He added that the overall Avenues programme is creating more attractive places throughout the city centre.

However he admitted there will be some disruption while the work is going on. Councillor Millar claimed this was inevitable given the size of the Avenues project.

Several other parts of the plan are slated to conclude soon.

The Cowcaddens Road and Dobbie's Loan Avenue at Glasgow Caledonian University and Buchanan Street Bus Station will open next week, while the redevelopment of George Square will see the road on the north side of the square reopen in early June.

The city council added that the Argyle West Avenue stage of the project was now on track to be completed as scheduled, following delays caused by the fire on Union Street earlier in the year.

The first phase of the Argyle East Avenue to get under way will stretch from the junction with Queen Street to Stockwell Street, followed by the Four Corners area to Queen Street, and then Trongate to Glasgow Cross and onto Moir Street on the Gallowgate.

It is scheduled for completion by June 2029, and a public engagement event on the Argyle East and Stockwell Street plans will take place at the St Enoch shopping centre between 11:00 and 15:00 on 20 May.