Almost £144 million worth of sub-contracts have been awarded to Scottish SME's as a result of the £500m M8/M73/M74 Motorway Improvements Project.

In total, 112 SME's have benefited by being awarded contracts in excess of £56m.

It is equivalent to 49% of the total number of contracts advertised through the Public Contracts Scotland procurement portal.

It is hoped a large proportion of the £88m sub-contracts still to be awarded will be sublet to local sub-contractors and suppliers.

The infrastructure project will upgrade Central Scotland's motorway network, including the completion of the M8 between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

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Improvements to the M73 and M74 is around 18 months into construction and is scheduled for completion by spring 2017.

Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown recently visited Paterson's Quarries Group, which was awarded a £5m sub-contract to provide quarry products including fill materials, sub-bases and drainage aggregates across the project.

Mr Brown said: "As one of the biggest transport infrastructure projects currently underway in Scotland, the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project has attracted interest from specialist engineering firms all over the world, but equally, it's great to see a local enterprises providing a service and benefiting from this Scottish Government investment."

"This is just one example of how this £500 million investment in Central Scotland's motorway network is stimulating the local economy during the construction phase, not to mention the significant benefits to road users, businesses, communities and industry in the west of Scotland and beyond, upon completion."

(LM/CD)