The upgrade of the trunk road through the village started on Monday 24 March 2025 with work scheduled to last until November 2025, all going well.

The Inverkip project is the third of three Glasgow City Region City Deal projects being delivered by Inverclyde Council with the help of £3.6m of external funding – £1.8m each from the UK and Scottish governments.

The local authority is contributing £570,000. 

The project will see signalised junctions installed at Main Street and Kip Marina to address long-running road safety issues on the A78 and a T-junction created at Brueacre to open up access to the former Inverkip Power Station site, which is earmarked for up to 650 new homes.

Main contractor Balfour Beatty began work on Monday 24 March 2025 when temporary traffic lights and a temporary 30mph speed limit were put in place along the A78.

Councillor Michael McCormick, Inverclyde Council’s convener of environment and regeneration, said: “This project has been a long time in the making and a huge amount of work and effort has gone on in the background with a variety of partner organisations to get to this stage so it’s pleasing that work is now underway.

“The A78 is a busy trunk road so there will be disruption and challenges over the coming months but council officers have worked closely with our main contractor and other partners to try and keep disruption to a minimum.

“We would like to thank road users and Inverkip residents in advance for their patience and understanding as we progress this important project.

“It’s worth remembering though that the aim of this project is to improve road safety along the A78, which has been a troublesome area for many years and improve access to the former Inverkip Power Station site to unlock major investment there and pave the way for hundreds of new homes and jobs.

“This is the third and final Inverclyde City Deal project following on from the delivery of the stunning new Greenock Ocean Terminal and the Inchgreen Marine Park. With support from both the UK and Scottish governments, we are delivering positive change for the village, Inverclyde and the wider city region.”

Scottish Government Investment Minister, Tom Arthur, added: “We are contributing £1.8m towards the transformation of the former Inverkip Power Station site into a thriving coastal community.

“This will boost the region’s economy by supporting up to 650 homes and 520 jobs. To help communities in Glasgow and Clyde prosper, the Scottish Government is investing £520m through the Glasgow City Region Deal.

“The deal aims to create 29,000 jobs in the region by boosting housing, transport, business growth and research opportunities to improve outcomes for patients.”

The key dates for the project are anticipated to be as follows:

• Brueacre junction west: (24 March-8 November 2025)
• [Temporary Traffic Lights (TTL) in place between 24-28 March and then from 28 April-8 November 2025]
• Inverkip Marina (Harbourside) /Main Street junctions: (31 March-28 November 2025)
• [Temporary Traffic Lights (TTL) in place between 31 March to 25 April]
• [Narrow Lanes in place between 28 April to 8 November 2025]
• [Temporary Traffic Lights (TTL) from 10 November to 28th November]

The Glasgow City Region Deal was signed in 2014. The £1.2 billion investment in the Deal is made up of £520 million each from the Scottish and UK governments and £130 million from the region’s eight local authorities.

Alan Aitkenhead, ScottishPower’s land and estates director, commented: “It’s great to see these works getting underway and progressing the next chapter for the former Inverkip Power Station site. I look forward to seeing the improved road network taking shape over the coming months.”

Stephen Hardie, portfolio director at Balfour Beatty, said: “We are pleased to start work on this important infrastructure project, which will enhance road safety and unlock long-term growth in Inverkip.

“We are committed to working closely with the local community to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum whilst these essential improvement works are ongoing.”

The Inverkip project was first developed in 2014. Since then proposed elements of the project have evolved with the main change being the Brueacre Junction becoming a T- junction rather than a roundabout as originally planned.

This follows further design development and transport modelling around future capacities for the village which concluded that greater space would be required for a roundabout. The new proposals are also more cost-effective.

The road infrastructure project is aimed at paving the way for redevelopment of the former Inverkip Power Station site and potentially deliver:

• 650 residential properties
• 400 construction jobs and 120 jobs in follow-on development
• £28m construction gross value added (GVA) impact
• £4m annual ongoing operational gross value-added impact for Inverclyde and £6m for City Region

Inverkip is a regional regeneration priority that recognises the need to address vacant and derelict land, open a significant redevelopment opportunity site, address housing needs supporting population growth and secure economic and environmental benefit.