Major road works are to begin in South Lanarkshire as part of the £500 million M8/M73/M74 Motorway Improvements Project.

Excavation, drainage and resurfacing works will begin on the M8/A8 Baillieston Interchange from Friday, 17 February.

Around 13,000 m2 of existing carriageway and 40,000 m2 of earth will be removed to connect the new motorway to the existing M8, which is approximately five metres higher.

Following the excavation, 1,500m of drainage and 12,000 tonnes of blacktop will then be laid to complete the M8 ‘Missing Link' and allow the new M8 between Baillieston Interchange and Eurocentral to open to traffic.

As part of the project, both east and westbound traffic on the M8/A8 will be diverted via the newly aligned A8 near Bargeddie from 8pm on Friday for around 10 weeks.

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The new M8 motorway includes 5km of new carriageway, east and westbound, which has already been built to the south of the existing A8, between Baillieston Interchange and the North Calder Water Bridge near Shawhead Junction.

Improvements also include 5km of new pedestrian and cycle paths which run parallel to the new M8 motorway, which are part of 16km of new cycle paths being built between Baillieston and Newhouse.

Graeme Reid, Transport Scotland Project Manager, said: "The project is a very significant investment in the Central Scotland motorway network which will greatly reduce congestion and boost the economy.

"These scheduled works are a major milestone of the £500m investment in the main route between Scotland's two largest cities, which will see the completion of the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

"Whilst delays are inevitable on a project of this scale and complexity, and the impact this has on the travelling public is regrettable, these works are necessary to complete the M8 Missing Link, and road users can  look forward to realising the benefits of the new motorway when it fully opens to traffic upon completion of these works in Spring 2017."

(LM/MH)