IMPRESSIVE plans to create a new £600,000 Port Glasgow spur road have been officially submitted – and the Tele can today reveal artist’s impressions of how it could look.

Regeneration company Riverside Inverclyde (RI) are pressing ahead with proposals to link the A8 at the Tesco filling station roundabout with Princes Street in a bid to take  more traffic into the town centre and boost local business.

The Tele revealed on Monday how officials were finalising details of the project and had issued a notice for contractors to register an interest in carrying out the work.

Now a formal planning application has been submitted to Inverclyde Council seeking approval for the high-profile project.

If all goes well and funding is approved, officials hope that the project will get under way later in the year.

These artist’s impressions from consultancy firm Ironside Farrar, pictured, give locals their first glimpse at how the new road and ‘high quality’ public realm improvements could look once completed.

As well as creating a link from the A8 directly onto Princes Street, RI are also proposing to spruce up the areas outside the town hall and the Comet replica to create more of a civic square.

The spur road was first mooted by traders in 2007 as they feared the new trunk road along the river in front of Tesco was allowing traffic to bypass the Port.

If given the green light by planning officials, the road would run through the public car park opposite the town hall which was acquired by Inverclyde Council last year.

The project is also subject to approval by Transport Scotland, which is in charge of the A8.

RI chiefs have yet to set a start or finish date for the project but they are aiming to award the £600,000 contract in May.

Contractors have until January 29 to register an interest.

RI officials have stressed that the proposals are not final and could change during the planning process.