The current two phases – the esplanade and Colquhoun Square – will be completed by the end of the month before council contractors MacLay Civil Engineering Ltd begin phases three and four on September 1.

Drew Dunion, contracts manager with MacLays, hosted a meeting at the Commodore Hotel last Thursday to share details of the work with about 20 residents and business owners.

Phase three – Colquhoun Street North and East Princes Street, from Maitland Street to Sinclair Street - and phase four (north) - Sinclair Street from West/East King Street to West/East Princes Street – will start at the beginning of September with a Christmas completion date.

The remainder of phase four (south) – including the bottom Sinclair Street – is expected to begin in the New Year. It is also expected to take around 14 weeks.

For the pre-Christmas work the roads will be closed at East Princes Street between Maitland Street and Sinclair Street, and at Sinclair Street, between West/East King Street and West/East Princes Street, effective once phases one and two are completed.

Regarding road closures, Mr Dunion told the Advertiser: “This will give us two great benefits. It means we can hand back the footpaths and roads a lot quicker and it will provide a safer working environment – people and cars don’t mix.” The decision was made following discussions with the council, where ‘lessons were learned’ from the previous phases.

Vehicular access to Sinclair Street car park and to the railway station will be maintained, the latter using the Maitland Street entrance, in front of the taxi rank.

Traffic will be diverted along West Princes Street, and buses will also use this route with a stop outside the former post office site and Humbles cafe. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times.

Providing a summary of the works, Mr Dunion said the project will increase the width of the footpaths and reduce road width for traffic – with an aim of slowing down vehicles for safety. It is thought the new roads will restrict heavy goods vehicles heading down Sinclair Street.

New lighting columns and lanterns will also be installed, as will new street furniture, including bins and bike stands.

Controlled parking and traffic management will be implemented in the form of dedicated parking bays and they will have a time limit of one hour. There will also be dedicated loading bays areas for shops.

Mr Dunion said: “The idea is that this will stop heavy good vehicles parking and make it easier for people to come and shop. We are simplifying things and making it safer for everyone.” It was also revealed that the speed limit of CHORD regenerated streets will be limited to 20mph, with the exception of West Clyde Street.

In conclusion, retailers were encouraged to complete a questionnaire to help MacLays work with shop owners to complete the necessary work at shop entrances at times which suits retailers.

Mr Dunion added: “We are there to go and do the job but we do our best so you are not disrupted.

“You can contact me 24 hours if you have any problems, leave a message and I will get back to you.” Speaking about the next phase of CHORD work, Helensburgh councillor Ellen Morton, the council’s policy lead for Special Projects, said: “We’re on the home straight now and I’m confident that we’ll be finished by spring 2015. Admittedly there have been some slippages in the original timeline which have been caused by a number of things – poor ground condition and the additional drainage work – but I’m sure it will be worth it in the end.

“The project remains within its £7.23million budget and will deliver high quality improvements to the town, making it a better place for people to live, work and visit.” Councillor Aileen Morton added: “I share the frustrations of the residents with the fact times and dates are being stretched and extended but the end product seems to be excellent and we just need to stick it out.

“When I first got elected, constituents complained about the state of the pavement etc, so we are currently fixing an issue which was causing a big problem when I was elected.” Councillor Gary Mulvaney said the completed work is top quality. He added: “There is some disappointment that the contractor is not able to complete the job within the envisaged timscale.

“I don’t think there are any words we can say that will make things better. We are where we are, and we are all working both the clients and the contractors to get the job done.”