This new public realm work is the latest in the series of major transformation works in and around the city centre, and will be delivered through the £21 million Avenues Plus programme, funded through the Scottish Government via Sustrans’ Places For Everyone programme.

Other city centre public realm and infrastructure improvement work currently underway and forthcoming in the city centre is being delivered through the £115m Avenues programme, supported by the Glasgow City Region City Deal.

The project will see improved road and widened pavement surfaces, a new pedestrian junction between Buchanan Bus Station and Glasgow Caledonian University, bi-directional and segregated cycle lanes to provide safer and more efficient routes for cyclists, new benches and improved junctions and crossings on both streets, the planting of 59 new trees (49 on Cowcaddens Road and 10 on Dobbie’s Loan) and rain gardens to enhance air quality, manage surface water / reduce flooding risk, and improve the area’s look and feel.  

The work will take place along the 750 metres of Cowcaddens Road and 250 metres of Dobbie’s Loan.

The underpass between the bus station and the University will be infilled to address personal safety issues due to poor visibility, with a new stair to be built at the location of the infilled underpass.  There will also be - towards the end of the delivery of the project - a change to the layout at Cowcaddens Road / Port Dundas Road junction, with the closure of the north side of the junction to through traffic (with the exception of a permitted Southbound only lane for emergency services).

Current greenery and trees on the slip pathway between Dundsvale and Cowcaddens Road will be - works begin there in March 2025 - replaced with plant species more appropriate for the area and to make space for the accessible pedestrian area and segregated cycle lane connecting to Cowcaddens Road.

The project is expected to be complete in the Spring of 2026.

Councillor Angus Millar, convener for Climate, Transport and City Centre Recovery at Glasgow City Council, said: “This project will see significant investment in improving the look and feel of Cowcaddens Road and Dobbies Loan - with new greenery, improved lighting and drainage, and road resurfacing. These transformation works at a key gateway to the city centre will connect into the wider Avenues programme and make these streets more attractive for everyone, supporting our ongoing efforts to spur on the city centre’s regeneration.”

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, added: “I’m pleased to see work beginning on Cowcaddens Road in Glasgow, funded by £21m from the Scottish Government for the Glasgow Avenues Plus project. This investment will make it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle across Townhead and the City Centre - while improving the overall look and feel with new trees and making the area less susceptible to flooding. This work builds on the significant transformation underway right across Scotland’s largest city to help people leave their cars at home and choose healthier, greener and cheaper transport options.

“To respond to the climate emergency, improve health and tackle poverty, the Scottish Government continues to make significant investments in active travel with over £155m already allocated this year. Through the Budget for 2025-26, we will go further, with the intention to invest over £188m to make it even easier for people to choose sustainable active travel.”

Carole Patrick, portfolio director at Sustrans, commented: “With nearly half of Glasgow households not having access to a car, this phase of Avenues PLUS is an important step towards giving more people fairer, more cost-effective choices for short, everyday journeys. People in Glasgow want to walk, wheel and cycle more. But too many Glaswegians still simply don’t feel confident and safe enough in getting around the city under their own steam.

“Delivering these new, protected routes and improvements along Cowcaddens Road and Dobbie’s Loan will give more people this reassurance and choice. This project will mean that walking, wheeling and cycling are real options for more Glaswegians to reach their work, school, shops and the city centre - saving lives, improving health, and helping create a fairer city for everyone.”

In mid-March, another Avenues Plus project - at South Portland Street close to the south bank of the Clyde - will begin, and this project is also expected to finish in Spring 2026. The first Avenues Plus project in Glasgow, at Duke Street and John Knox Street, began on 6 January.