A new report on Glasgow's £123 million Avenues programme confirms the remarkable transformational impact the major construction and regeneration projects are already having on the city centre. With four Avenues now fully completed and a further seven actively under construction, the latest annual update highlights significant progress in physically reshaping and regenerating the thoroughfares.

Funded through the Glasgow City Region Deal, and with an additional £21m secured from Sustrans/Transport Scotland for the Avenues Plus programme, this represents the biggest transformation of city centre streets since the pedestrianisation of Buchanan Street in the 1970s. The programme involves major civil engineering works, including reallocating road space to pedestrians, installing hundreds of new trees, upgrading lighting, incorporating rain gardens and greenery, and building new cycle lanes.

Four Avenues were completed this year: Cambridge Street, Holland Street, Pitt Street, and Sauchiehall Street. Construction is currently ongoing at Argyle Street West, Cowcaddens Road and Dobbies' Loan, Duke Street and John Knox Street, North Hanover Street and Kyle Street, and South Portland Street. Most of these ongoing construction projects are expected to be finished in Spring 2026, with the North Hanover Street Avenue anticipated for completion in November 2026.

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Councillor Angus Millar, Convener for City Centre Recovery at Glasgow City Council, said the Avenues were creating a cleaner and more attractive European-style environment that was "better for people and better for businesses." He added: "The Avenues project is about delivering the biggest change to many of our city centre streets in 50 years."

The George Square transformation project, a core part of the Avenues programme, also saw contractors go onsite in May 2025. Improvements to nearby streets are nearing completion, and the main Square work is scheduled to be complete in August 2026. The final stages of this construction package, covering Cochrane Street, George Street, and the stretch of North Hanover Street between the Square and Cathedral Street, will be completed in Spring 2027.

Looking ahead, the first half of 2026 will see the start of work on Avenues at Argyle Street East and Stockwell Street. Further construction on Clyde Street and High Street is expected to begin towards the end of 2026. These forthcoming projects include complex construction features like segregated cycle links, upgraded traffic signal networks, enhanced pavement and road surfaces, and the use of potted trees in areas where low-level rail tunnels prevent in-ground planting.

The entire Avenues programme is supporting growing demand for active travel, with cycle counter data already indicating a 43% increase in cycle journeys across Glasgow's network in the past year.