Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP) has invited communities and businesses in North Lanarkshire to attend an informational drop-in event on 13 August.

The exhibition will give people the chance to learn more about the construction underway on the £500 million M8/M73/M74 Motorway Improvements Project.

Works are currently taking place along the A8/M8 from Bailliestone to Newhouse, including Shawhead Junction.

SRP, the contractor delivering the project, is offering residents and commuters the opportunity to meet with them and hear how the infrastructure project will bring 'major' benefits to the surrounding communities.

The drop-in event will display SRP's plans of the new road layout and an overview of the construction works scheduled for the months ahead.

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The improvements will require complex traffic management including speed restrictions, average speed safety cameras, temporary lane and road closures along with diversions.

Traffic management is necessary to allow the construction of three new junctions along the A8/M8 including Shawhead, Eurocental and Chapelhall, upgrades to the existing Bailliestone and Newhouse Junctions and improvements to the A725 Bellshill Bypass and B7070 North Road, Bellshill.

General Manager for SRP, Gabriel Valtueña-Ramos, said: "Our Drop-In event offers local residents, businesses and commuters the opportunity to view the details of the major improvements planned for these routes and how journeys will be affected.

"Our biggest challenge is to keep the high volume of traffic already using these heavily congested routes and junctions moving and to ensure disruption to road users and residents is minimised a far as is practically possible.

"We have planned our works to ensure two lanes will remain operational in each direction during peak times, although traffic management and speed restrictions will be in place."

Once completed, the M8/M73/M74 Motorway Improvements Project will significantly reduce congestion across the central Scotland motorway network, as well as improve the travel time reliability between the main route of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The drop-in day event will take place from 12 noon to 8pm at the Hilton Strathclyde Hotel, Bellshill.

(LM/MH)