Falkirk Council: £300,000 to be spent repairing district's roads for international UCI Cycling Championships

Details of the planning and work required by Falkirk Council services to deliver the international event safely for cyclists and local residents was given to councillors at the meeting of the local authority’s Executive committee on Tuesday.

The 227km road race from Edinburgh to Glasgow will pass through parts of Falkirk, Fife, Stirling and East Dunbartonshire, with 170 top cyclists taking part including many who have participated in the Tour De France and the Olympics. Cyclists will travel a 52km route through the district’s towns and villages and Falkirk town centre lasting around 45 minutes on Sunday, August 6, entering the local area at 10.30am.

Councillors heard preparations are well underway to deliver the significant event which will be televised worldwide.

Hosting the event requires road maintenance and resurfacing works on the route to improve the overall quality of the local road network prior to the race. Eight sections of road on the route had previously been identified for upgrade as part of Falkirk Council’s annual road resurfacing programme. An additional six areas, identified during a recent joint inspection, are in need of remedial action to bring the surface up to standard.

The works are a combination of full carriageway resurfacing, permanent patching and crack sealing and the cost of the additional works is estimated at around £300,000 which will be funded by the Economic Recovery Fund.

Cecil Meiklejohn, council leader, said: “I appreciate the effort of services across the council working together to enable our authority to play its part in what is a huge international event. The UCI Cycle Championships attracts elite cyclists from around the world, and on August 6 our towns and villages will form part of the route for the Elite Men’s cycle race. Our council has an almost unique opportunity to promote our area and landmarks to a global audience. Not only will there be visitors on the day, but we’re looking to create a legacy, both in terms of cycling and green transport along our countryside and cycleways as well as a tourist destination building upon our growing hospitality industry and local businesses, benefitting our local economy and putting Falkirk – and our visitor attractions – on the tourist map of places to visit and stay.

"The additional funding invested into our road network not only allows us to accommodate an international event but also deliver direct benefits to our communities who live within the area.”