A NEW £300k crossing on the A8 has been completed in a bid to improve access between Greenock town centre and the waterfront.

The toucan crossing at the foot of William Street stretches across Dalrymple Street and connects onto Custom House Way and down to the quayside.

It will soon serve cruise ship passengers and crew from the new Ocean Terminal development, which is currently under construction.

Toucan crossings are wider than normal crossings to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists safely across the road at the same time.

It replaces the nearby pedestrian crossing at the bottom of Cross Shore Street.

Councillor Michael McCormick, the local authority's convener of environment and regeneration, said: “This new crossing is in a much better location than the previous pedestrian crossing, is much wider to accommodate both pedestrians and cyclists at the same time, and it is much more visible which improves road safety.

“The location at the foot of William Street means there is now much better access between this side of the town centre and the waterfront where we have the likes of the leisure complex, cinema, Beacon Arts Centre, retail park, offices, the National Cycle Route and, of course, the new cruise ship visitor centre coming soon.

“We want to make Greenock and Inverclyde on the whole as welcoming and accessible as possible for locals and visitors alike and improvements like this are part of that effort, as well as our ongoing regeneration of Greenock town centre.”

The project was led by the council in conjunction with trunk road operators Transport Scotland and its contractor Amey, which manages the A8, and it was funded thanks to a grant from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).

Councillor David Wilson, chair of the SPT operations committee, said: “I am delighted that this investment from SPT in the new crossing is helping support the regeneration of Greenock town centre by improving the local environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

“This area of William Street is very busy and will only get more so with the new cruise ship visitor centre.

"The improvements being made will be invaluable for both locals and visitors coming to Greenock and the waterfront area.”