M8 motorway (Scotland)

Route map:
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

M8 shield
M8
Map
M8 highlighted in blue
E05 and E16
Maintained by
M74 motorway

J22 → M77 motorway

J30 → M898 motorway
West endLangbank
55°55′24″N 4°33′01″W / 55.9234°N 4.5504°W / 55.9234; -4.5504 (M8 motorway (western end))
Location
Country
Livingston
Glasgow
Paisley
Glasgow Airport
Greenock
Road network
←
M6 Toll
→ M9
Broxburn, West Lothian
Kingston Bridge
M8 nearing the west terminus of the motorway at Langbank, with views over the Clyde

The M8 is the busiest

Livingston and Paisley. The motorway is 60 miles (97 km) long. A major construction project to build the final section between Newhouse and Baillieston was completed on 30 April 2017. The motorway has one service station, Heart of Scotland Services, previously named Harthill due to its proximity to the village
.

History

With the advent of motorway-building in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s, the M8 was planned as one of a core of new motorways, designed to replace the

Second World War was closing, and which set out a series of initiatives to regenerate the city.[3] Bruce's scheme evolved into what would become the Glasgow Inner Ring Road, a motorway "box" which would encircle the city centre, connected to the Renfrew Bypass at its south western corner, and the Monkland Motorway (built over the former route of the Monkland Canal
) towards Edinburgh at its north eastern corner. Together, these three sections of motorway make up the present day M8.

Most of the motorway's length was complete by 1980. Since then, there has been a new interchange with the M80 motorway added in 1992, a 4-mile (6.4 km) eastern extension from Newbridge to the then-new Edinburgh City Bypass in 1995, and the new junction on the approach to the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow connecting to the new M74 extension in 2011.[4] As part of the Scottish Government's 'M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements programme', on which construction began in early 2015,[5] the remaining unfinished section between Baillieston (J8) and Newhouse (J6) was built, alongside other major improvements enhancing connectivity to the local road network, M73, and M74.[6][7] The new section was fully opened on 30 April 2017.[8] On 6 December 2019, the Southbar interchange (J29a) was reopened to facilitate regeneration in the Bishopton area, having been previously closed during the 1970s.[9]

Route

From the Edinburgh City Bypass, the road runs west to junction with the

Glasgow International Airport, running to the south of Erskine, and terminating at Langbank, around 10 miles (16 km) east of Greenock.[10]

The M8 nominally comprises sections of the

E05 (Langbank-Baillieston)[11] and E16 (Baillieston-Edinburgh),[12]
although neither is signposted – no such roads are in the United Kingdom.

Criticism

This stub in the Tradeston area, popularly known as the "ski-ramp", is the abandoned interchange for the southern flank of the Glasgow Inner Ring Road

The central Glasgow section of the M8 is unusual amongst UK motorways (and more similar to many US Interstates) in that it directly bisects an urban city centre, whereas most other motorways bypass such centres. This section is mainly elevated on a concrete viaduct, lowering pollution concentrations but exposing some public spaces, roof terraces and other parts of buildings to noise and shading.[citation needed]

Some slip roads in the Glasgow section unusually enter and exit from the overtaking (

right-hand
) lane.

The motorway includes one of the busiest river crossings in Europe, Glasgow's Kingston Bridge.

Several incomplete structures were built around the motorway - at least 3 have been demolished or reused from the 1960s dubbed Bridges to Nowhere. A few incomplete structures remain.

The cause of most traffic congestion on the urban section is traffic from the M73 and M80 routes onto the eastern section of M8 which within 2 miles (3.2 km) reduces from five lanes to two on the Kingston Bridge approaches. Prior to the construction of the M74 extension, attempts were made to minimise delays on this section; these included restricting exits around the Kingston Bridge, a ramp metering programme, and expanded use of electronic signing above and beside the motorway as part of the CITRAC (Centrally Integrated TRAffic Control) system.[13][14]

The M8 is also criticised as a barrier to wildlife access (for example the reintroduced beaver) from the north of Scotland to the Southern Uplands.[15]

Problems solved

Successive failed attempts were made to build the southern flank of the Glasgow Inner Ring Road envisaged by the Bruce Report of the late 1940s. The eastern section had been planned to run north/south close to the High Street of Glasgow, through or under Glasgow Green to the southside of the Clyde. Public opinion was strongly against this and the eastern section was shelved, with a much later

M74
connecting the far-eastern areas of Glasgow. This section, which is an extension of the M74 was built to a different route, intended to funnel long-distance traffic from the north and south which is bound for the southern Clyde Coast and allow it to bypass the urban section of the M8. Following many years of intensive political discussion and legal battles, the M74 completion began in 2008 and opened in June 2011. Indications are that the new road has been successful in reducing traffic levels on the urban section of the M8.

Junctions

M8 motorway
Eastbound exits Junction Westbound exits
M8 now terminates
Berwick upon Tweed (A1)
Edinburgh City Centre A71
 J1 (Hermiston Gait) Start of motorway
Edinburgh Airport, Stirling, Queensferry Crossing (M90) M9 J2 (Newbridge) Stirling, Queensferry Crossing (M90) M9
A899
 J3 (Livingston) Livingston A899
A89
 J3a (Bathgate) Bathgate, Broxburn, Livingston (West) (A89) A779
Bathgate, Whitburn, Falkirk A801 J4 (Whitburn) Bathgate, Whitburn, Falkirk A801
Whitburn, Heartlands (B7066) J4a (Heartlands) Whitburn, Heartlands (
B7066
)
Harthill services
B7057
 J5 (Harthill) Shotts, Harthill, Salsburgh (B7066) B7057
No access J6 (Newhouse)
A723) A73
Lanark, Wishaw, Motherwell, Airdrie A8 (A73) J6a (Chapelhall) No access
Eurocentral J7 (Eurocentral) No access
No access J7a (Shawhead)
M74), East Kilbride, Bellshill A725
Carlisle (M74) M73

Coatbridge A89

J8 (Ballieston) Carlisle (M74),
Glasgow Airport
M73, Glasgow (East) A8

Stirling, Kincardine Bridge (M80)

Baillieston J9 (Easterhouse) No access
Easterhouse, Barlanark J10 (Bartiebeith) Easterhouse, Baillieston
B765
 J11 (Stepps) Stepps, Queenslie B765
A80
 J12 (Riddrie) Riddrie, Stepps A80
Stirling, Kincardine Bridge M80 J13 (Provan) Blochairn, Parkhead
Blochairn,
B763
 J14 (Fruit Market) No access
Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow Cross, Kirkintilloch A803
 J15 (Townhead) Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow Cross A803
No access J16 (Craighall)
A81
)
A82
 J17 (Great Western Road) Dumbarton A82
Anderston, Charing Cross (Access from J20 on-ramp only)
Glasgow City Centre (Accessible all routes) 		J18 (Charing Cross) Kelvingrove, Charing Cross
S.E.C.C. A814

(Access from J20 on-ramp only) 		J19 (Anderston) Clydebank, S.E.C.C. A814
No access J20 (Kingston Bridge) Tradeston, East Kilbride (A730)
Tradeston, East Kilbride (A8, A730)
Carlisle M74 		J21 (Seaward Street) No access
No access
(Traffic for M77 can exit at J21 and use dedicated loop route under the M8) 		J22 (Plantation)
Prestwick Airport M77
No access J23 (Dumbreck Road)
B768
(Access from J21 on-ramps & M74
only)
Govan, Kilmarnock (
A761
 J24 (Helen Street) Paisley, Bellahouston A761
A739
 J25 (Cardonald) Clyde Tunnel A739
No access J25a (Braehead) Braehead
Hillington, Braehead A736
 J26 (Hillington) Hillington, Renfrew (A8) A736
A741
 J27 (Arkleston) Paisley, Renfrew A741
No access J28 (Glasgow Airport) Glasgow Airport
No access J28a
A737
Paisley, Glasgow Airport A726, Irvine A737 J29 (St James) Paisley A726
No access J29a Bishopton A8
Erskine, Erskine Bridge M898 J30 (Erskine) Erskine, Erskine Bridge M898
Start of motorway J31 (West Ferry) Bishopton A8
Bishopton A8
Non-motorway traffic 		Road becomes A8 towards Greenock

See also

References

  1. ^ "Road traffic estimates in Great Britain: 2021 tables". Department for Transport. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  2. ^ Steven Jukes. "Pathetic Motorways". pathetic.org.uk. Archived from the original on 14 March 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2006.
  3. ^ Townhead, c 1970, The Glasgow Story
  4. ^ M8 motorway construction timeline Archived 9 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine, CRBD.co.uk
  5. ^ "Keeping communities informed". transportscotland.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015.
  6. ^ "M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements". transportscotland.gov.uk.
  7. ^ New aerial footage as M8 M73 M74 project nears completion, Daily Record, 5 January 2017
  8. ^ "M8 'missing link' opens fully to traffic". BBC News. 30 April 2017.
  9. ^ "M8 J29A Southbar Interchange". Roads.org.uk. Roads.org.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  10. ^ M8 motorway exit list Archived 9 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine, CBRD.co.uk
  11. ^ E05 route descriptor, elbruz.com
  12. ^ E16 route descriptor, elbruz.com
  13. ^ "Living in Glasgow – CITRAC". Glasgow.gov.uk. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  14. ^ "Traffic Scotland > Variable Message Signs". trafficscotland.org.
  15. ^ "Effects on Flora and Fauna" (PDF). transport.gov.scot. March 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2023.

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