BEAR Scotland is set to carry out a major refurbishment project on the bridge carrying the M8 motorway over the River Almond in West Lothian. The structural works are designed to ensure the long-term reliability of the crossing and reduce the future necessity for emergency repairs linked to bridge deck deterioration.

The engineering programme involves comprehensive refurbishment and the application of new waterproofing systems. To facilitate these works, a contraflow system will be established between Junction 3A and Junction 4A. These site preparations and structural activities are scheduled for the weekends of 8-11 May and 15-18 May.

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Technical operations will commence at 20:30 each Friday and are slated for completion by 06:00 the following Monday. During these windows, the work zone will be restricted to a single lane of travel in both directions, supported by a 40mph speed limit to ensure the safety of the site team.

The scope of the project also requires the temporary closure of specific access points:

• 8-11 May: Closure of the M8 Junction 4 eastbound off-slip.

• 15-18 May: Closure of both the M8 Junction 4 westbound on-slip and off-slip.

David Bishop, BEAR Scotland's South East Unit Bridges Manager, said: "The project to refurbish and re-waterproof this bridge is essential to ensuring that it continues to provide a safe and reliable service for years to come. This should reduce the need for reactive closures of the M8 to repair defects caused by underlying bridge deck issues."

Should inclement weather prevent the works from proceeding on the initial dates, a contingency window has been identified for the weekend of 5-8 June.