Dundee City Council is set to approve contractors for a £9.5 million extension to the “active travel route” connecting Broughty Ferry and Monifieth.
The city development committee is expected to sign off on the project that will create a five-metre-wide path and cycleway.
It will run from the east end of the Esplanade at Bridge Street to the intersection of Marine Drive and South Union Street, Monifieth.
Additionally, there is to be a new bridge crossing the Dighty Burn and structural alterations to enable a wider, shared path.
Comprehensive lighting will be installed to make them safer at all times.
Key development sites along the route will be the Windmill Car Park in Broughty Ferry, the Esplanade at Bridge Street, Marine Drive and South Union Street in Monifieth and around the existing bridge at the mouth of the Dighty Burn.
The tender comes as Tayside Contracts continues surfacing work on a stretch of the segregated cycle lane and pathway along the Broughty Ferry Esplanade.
That section is expected to be completed in March.
The Monifieth phase is scheduled to begin in December and be completed by October next year.
If approved, Wates Construction Ltd will undertake this next phase of the work, after submitting the only tender which was sourced under a “scape framework”.
Scape is a public sector body that specialises in procurement for local authorities.
A number of councils in England are its shareholders, including Warwickshire County Council, Nottingham and Derbyshire county councils.
The scheme is part of the Broughty Ferry Active Travel scheme intended to encourage walking and cycling between the town in Angus and the seaside suburb in Dundee.
‘Minimum disruption to residents’
The convener of the development committee, SNP councillor for Coldside Mark Flynn, said: “I am delighted to see the progress that is being made on what is a key piece of work to deliver this major piece of our active travel infrastructure.
“As much as possible, work is being carried out with minimum disruption to residents and road users.
“We are doing the whole scheme in bite-sized chunks; each section is commissioned as others are completed, bringing the final project closer to completion.”
Depute Lord Provost and SNP councillor for the Ferry Kevin Cordell added: “When you add this to the work that has already been completed on North Balmossie Street, we are making progress on supporting cycling and other forms of active travel for residents from the large population to the north east of Broughty Ferry, Barnhill, Panmurefield and the north end of Monifieth.”
‘Funding from capital plan’
Funding for the project will be sourced chiefly from the council’s 2022-2027 capital plan budget.
Changes in construction industry costs are of particular concern for all local authorities.
Also on Monday, the council’s policy and resources committee will receive a summary of a report on current expenditure.
In it, Robert Emmott, executive director of corporate services writes: “There is a risk of further slippage in the capital programme, as the council reacts to the extreme market conditions currently affecting the construction industry.
“Updated projections will be incorporated into future capital monitoring reports.”
In a media release, the council states: “Final ratification of the funding for the project is expected to come from Sustrans within the next two weeks.”
Sustrans is a charity that promotes walking and cycling. It’s the custodian of the National Cycle Network.
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