Clyde Tunnel £25m repair bill is another example of infrastructure underinvestment, says ACE Scotland

Clyde Tunnel needs £25m of repairs over the next decade.

One of Scotland’s busiest river crossings needs more than £25 million worth of repairs over the next ten years to keep it open, according to a new report by Glasgow City Council.

The report, by the city’s infrastructure chief Andy Waddell, revealed that the Clyde Tunnel needs £5.3m of the work completed as a matter of urgency. Waddell’s report said that the annual cost to the city council of operating the tunnel is £950,000 per annum. Added to this, the tunnel and its approaches needed £25m of capital investment over the next ten years to enable it to operate safely and remain open.

Waddell was particularly concerned about fire evacuation systems, which he said needed “life-preserving enhancements”. The tunnel’s electrics, some of which are 50 years old, are “very fragile, obsolete and liable to fail”.

"Yet another example of the underinvestment of the Scottish and UK government on the maintenance of critical infrastructure."

- Simon Innes

Simon Innes, managing director of Goodson Associates and chair of ACE Scotland, said: “This is yet another example of the underinvestment of the Scottish and UK government on the maintenance of the critical infrastructure structures in the country. Council budgets have been cut dramatically and the easy win is the reduction of maintenance of critical infrastructure.

"The ACE in Scotland suggests that a complete condition inventory of the country’s infrastructure assets is generated to ensure that the correct investments are made. It is easier for the government to show their investment in big flagship projects, but the fundamental building blocks of our society must be maintained to ensure a steady growth out of recession,” said Innes.

The tunnel was first opened in 1964 and carries 64,000 vehicles a day, which is almost five times the number it was expected to take. However, despite the high volume of traffic, because the tunnel is not considered a trunk road, the majority of the bill for its upkeep has to be paid for by the local authority, with no help from the Scottish Government.

Given the current financial constraints on the council, Glasgow City councillors are expected to call on the Scottish Government to provide more funding for the deteriorating tunnel, when they meet this week.

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