SCORES of roads across Inverclyde are set to be upgraded as part of a £17 million investment programme.

Councillors are expected to agree an initial £670,000 plan to improve surfaces across the district when they meet on Thursday.

A total of £270,000 will be spent on treatments and dressing in some areas — with a further £400,000 going on ‘microasphalt’ elsewhere.

The programme is to be carried out during the 2014/15 financial year as part of the wider multi-million scheme, which was agreed last February.

A report to go before Inverclyde’s environment and regeneration committee states: “These relatively low cost treatments are applied to existing carriageway pavements to restore, preserve and extend the lifecycle of the underlying materials.

“It avoids or delays the high costs of future reconstruction, whilst still maintaining the running surface in an acceptable physical and aesthetic condition.” The report — prepared by environmental and commercial services head Ian Moffat — adds: “These treatments would not be used where the existing carriageway is starting to suffer significant deterioration.

“In these circumstances conventional resurfacing/reconstruction would be proposed.” More than £5 million has been set aside for other roads and footpath projects in the new financial year, with a report on those set to go to councillors in March.

The wider plan also includes improvements to street lighting.

A total of 53 roads are scheduled for the initial surface treatment.

They are: Greenock — Lyle Road, Hole Farm Road, Woodstock Road, Drums Terrace, Kincaid Street, Lylefoot Crescent, Wood Street, Bentinck Street, Welbeck Street, Eldon Place, Johnston Street, Glen Street, Octavia Terrace, Florence Street, Mary Street, Rankin Street, Skye Street, Iona Street.

Gourock — Kirn Drive, Staffa Street, MacMillan Drive, Briar Place, Cedar Place, Rose Crescent, Skye Crescent, McPherson Drive, Finnie Terrace, Kingsway, Fir Terrace, Elm Terrace, Murray Place, Ivy Crescent, Henderson Terrace, Darroch Drive, Craigmuschat Road, Jacobs Drive, Moorfield Road, Hawthorne Place, Rosemount Place, Glenbervie Place, Cowal Crescent, Sycamore Place, Finnart Crescent, Beech Place, Poplar Place, Darroch Avenue, Park Terrace, Mathie Crescent.

Kilmacolm — Auchentiber Road, Blacksholm Road, Killochries Road, Netherwood Road, Auchenbothie Road.