Blacktop to the future
Drivers settle in to £500m road development
6.5 million man hours worked 8000 people worked on site at various stages over the three years
418,000 trees and shrubs being planted
95 per cent of on-site waste recycled
16km of combined foot/ cycle-ways built or upgraded
43 new structures including 15 new road bridges and two railway bridges
25km carriageway upgraded/ built during construction
2,500,000m2 new road pavement laid
100km drainage
Long-suffering motorists spent three years slamming the major M8, M73 and M74 roadworks – but the £500 million project is now up for one of Scotland’s top engineering awards.
While many drivers now praise what was one of the country’s largest infrastructure projects after it opened earlier this year, some continue to be unhappy about aspects of it.
Although the motorways are now capable of operating at full capacity, there are still “local improvements” and “snagging” which will continue until at least September.
However, the Saltire Civil Engineering Awards 2017 – the Institution of Civil Engineers Scotland’s annual awards run in partnership with the Saltire Society – have named the project on a shortlist of 14 for their prestigious gong.
The Saltire Civil Engineering Awards celebrate outstanding civil engineering achievement, innovation and ingenuity in Scotland and have grown into the highest honour for engineering excellence in the built environment.
Convenor of the judging panel, Ainslie Mclaughlin, said: “The Saltire Civil Engineering Awards represent a unique opportunity to recognise civil engineering at its best across Scotland and celebrate the achievements of the industry.
“The history and prestige of these awards always attract entrants of the highest standard and I very much look forward to assessing this year’s submissions.”
Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP) began construction of the £500m M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project on behalf of Transport Scotland in February 2014, upgrading the A8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh to complete the ‘missing link.’ In addition, major improvements got underway on the M73, M74, and A725, and the strategic junctions which connected these three routes – the most significant of which was Raith.
Formally known as Bothwellhaugh Interchange, the improvements to the new junction included the creation of a 560m-long, 35 metre wide underpass below the existing roundabout and the M74 – the main arterial route between Scotland and England.
Consisting of more than 1600 concrete and steel piles of up to 25m in length, the underpass provides a free-flow link for traffic between the Bellshill Bypass and the East Kilbride Expressway, alleviating congestion on the roundabout which has been struggling to cope with the 75,000 vehicles that use the junction on a daily basis.
SRP has also constructed three new bridges to carry the motorway and local traffic over the new underpass, separating the traffic on the A725 from that using the M74.
In addition, two new footbridges have been installed to the north and south of the roundabout to create a safe access route over the busy junction between Bothwell and Strathclyde Country Park.
These footbridges are part of 16km of new cycle paths and pedestrian walkways across the entire project, which provide improved accessibility and safety by segregating pedestrians and cyclists from motorists, and link communities to places of work and recreation which until now have been cut off by the motorway network.