A new £18.6 million relief road has been opened in South Lanarkshire.

The 7.3 metre Cathkin Relief Road, between the junctions of the existing Cathkin Bypass/Burnside Road and Fernhill Road/Croftfoot Road/Blairbeth Road in Rutherglen, has been built as part of the £1.13 billion Glasgow City Region City Deal.

Features include a two-metre wide footway on the south side and a three-metre wide combined cycleway/footway on the north side.

In addition, there are three crossing points along the new route, one of which is a controlled crossing. The controlled crossing is around halfway along the new stretch of road.

The project's contractor, Land Engineering, will continue to provide maintenance to the path network for the next five years.

Depute Council Leader Jackie Burns said: "We are delighted to be able to deliver the first major transport project of the Glasgow City Region City Deal.

"Cathkin Relief Road supports the council’s objective of enhancing the local and strategic road network.

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"It will improve infrastructure to employment areas across Rutherglen and Cambuslang and reduce traffic impacts on neighbouring residential type roads.

"The road will also reduce congestion at peak times which has the knock-on effect of also reducing carbon emissions.

"Another benefit will be an improvement to public transport reliability and bus/rail integration in the area, primarily because the new road will remove congestion and through traffic from existing routes.

"The capacity and quality of the wider footpath and cycle network in the area has been enhanced which will improve access for cyclists and pedestrians. The new paths are also DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliant."

Economy Secretary Keith Brown said: "This is a landmark day for the Glasgow City Region City Deal with the first transport project completed and set to improve local access to employment and relieve pressure on Rutherglen town centre.

"The Scottish Government is investing £500m over the lifespan of the deal and we are fully committed to working closely with city region partners to maximise the opportunities created through the Glasgow City Region City Deal."

Stuart Dillett, Managing Director at Land Engineering, added: "It has been a real honour for Land Engineering to be involved in delivering the Cathkin Relief Road, the first major transport project of the Glasgow City Region City Deal.

"Like most major projects of this type, the construction of the Cathkin Relief Road did present a number of significant challenges during the build period and everyone involved has had to work very hard to deliver the finished product to the standard of quality and appearance we believe is evident today."

(LM/CD)