WORK will start on Monday to create a new entrance into Port Glasgow town centre in a bid to encourage more people to visit it and boost the economy.
A £700,000 gateway spur from the A8 will come off the Tesco roundabout, allowing traffic to enter and exit directly via the trunk road and forming a new junction with Shore Street and Princes Street.
It is being built following consultation with local groups and businesses, who said many people were driving past the town centre without realising it was there.
The road, which will go through a former car park, is expected to be finished in December in time for Christmas, and is part of a £2.5 million overhaul of the town centre, including a new civic square in front of the town hall.
The Scottish Government is adding £852,000 to the £1.1m being put up by Riverside Inverclyde (RI), and £500,000 from Inverclyde Council.
Inverclyde's regeneration convener and vice convener, councillors Michael McCormick and Colin Jackson, joined RI chief executive Fiona Maguire and Robert van Beek, contracts manager of contractors RJ McLeod, at the cutting of the first turf to herald the start of the new road.
Cllr McCormick said: "This is one of the main projects for regenerating Port Glasgow town centre. There has always been an argument that drivers couldn't access Princes Street from the main road and Tesco's car park.
"This new road will be well signposted and give direct access from the A8. This will increase the number of people visiting the town centre, which is something the traders have been asked for over several years. It should significantly boost existing businesses and attract fresh investment into the area.
"Providing better connections into the town centre was one of the recommendations of our regeneration masterplan for Port Glasgow."
Cllr Jackson said anything that increases the regeneration of the area is always welcome.
He said: "The council, Riverside Inverclyde, the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Regeneration Fund and the Cities Growth Fund have already contributed significantly to refreshing and renewing the town centre, and this is the latest step to deliver our vision for the future of Port Glasgow.”
Cllr Drew McKenzie, chair of the Port Glasgow Town Centre Regeneration Forum, says the new road and civic space will be a huge improvement.
He said: "Not only will it provide direct access to the town centre from the A8, it will also improve the first impressions and celebrate the rich heritage and distinctiveness of Port Glasgow.”
RI boss Ms Maguire said: “This is the latest phase of the continuing regeneration of Port Glasgow to open up and improve the economy of the town centre, and will make a real difference to an area that has seen many years of decline.”
The new road will have footways on either side, and a grass lawn will be created on the site of the present car park.
A new hard-landscaped civic space will extend over Shore Street from the front of the town hall. To make room for the new spur road, the existing civic square will be reduced in size, including removing the canopy, some steps and hard landscaping. 
Graeme Clark, joint managing director of RJ McLeod, said: "This scheme will have both long and short-term gains for the local community.”
DIGGING DEEP: Cutting the first turf, from left, Robert van Beek, councillors McCormick and Jackson and Fiona Maguire.