A Largs councillor has says he is really pleased to see the town 'on the road to improvement' with a number of streets getting resurfaced in the town.
Waterside Street, Stakehill and Brisbane Road in Largs are all in the process of various sets of roadworks to improve the street surfaces which have been much needed, according to independent councillor Ian Murdoch.
He said: "I am really happy that this is getting done at last, and after that, it will be Brisbane Glen Road and Mackerston Place next towards the turn of the year."
With much less money in the roads budget for this year, and money being continually squeezed year after year, Cllr Murdoch said that securing commitments for road works was an "ongoing challenge".
But he said he would continue fighting for road upgrades, and told the News he has highlighted three areas in Skelmorlie - Longhill, Skelmorlie Castle Road, and Annickyard - as priority roads for future work, and has met roads officials to discuss them.
Cllr Murdoch continued: "The budget has to be spread across the ward and there are huge jobs on the roads which are needing to be done.
"There has to be a balance with road upgrades in Largs, Cumbrae and West Kilbride, as well as in Skelmorlie
"In an ideal world we could get them all done at the one time, but with budgetary constraints it is challenging."
The Brisbane Road work, from Boyd Street to Seamore Street, is costing £25,000.
The Waterside Street work, including junctions at Silverdale, has a price tag of £80,000, while work on part of the length of Stakehill is costing £65,000.
Resurfacing work at Station Road and Seton Terrace in Skelmorlie is also included in this year's roads budget, costing £50,000.
Campbell Dempster, senior roads manager for North Ayrshire Council, stated: "North Ayrshire Council’s roads are the council’s largest community asset and play a vital role in supporting the local and wider economy by facilitating the movement of people, goods and services and connecting people with economic and social opportunities.
"The proposed roads, structures and street lighting maintenance programme for 2023/24 has been developed in accordance with the strategy contained within the roads asset management plan to deliver the maximum return on investment and ensures the provision of an effective road network throughout North Ayrshire."
Road condition standards are measured nationally through the Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey (SRMCS). The Road Condition Index (RCI) records the percentage of the council’s roads which should be considered for maintenance.
North Ayrshire’s RCI has been improving in recent years and is currently 33.9 per cent.
The estimated carriageway maintenance backlog figure for North Ayrshire is currently £34.8 million.
The ‘steady state’ figure for maintaining the area's roads in their present condition is £4.3m per year.
The capital budget, supported by revenue funding, is £4.45m for 2023/24.
An additional £500,000 has been identified from the ‘core infrastructure, property and vehicles renewal investment’ capital budget allocation, taking the total investment in the road network to £4.95m for 2023/24.
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