A MAJOR £10 million refurbishment project has been announced for a busy bridge on the M8 in Glasgow, with motorists warned of some lane closures.
Amey, on behalf of Transport Scotland, has announced it is undertaking a major bridge refurbishment project, including rail and slip road upgrades, on the M8 at Junction 26 (Hillington Interchange).
The maintenance firm said the “essential work” will be carried out over five phases from September 2025 until Spring 2026.
Significant repairs and upgrades will be carried out on four key bridge structures, which include addressing vehicle parapets, structure waterproofing, safety barriers, and carriageway surfacing.
Amey has confirmed that phase one of the project will start from Monday, September 8, until Wednesday, October 1, under a 2+2 contraflow on the M8 mainline carriageway at Junction 26 (Hillington Interchange), which will involve closing lane two and lane three of the eastbound carriageway and narrowing running lanes to facilitate.
A total closure of the M8 Junction 26 eastbound on-slip road will also be implemented for the duration of the first phase, and traffic will be diverted as follows:
North of Hillington Interchange for Vehicles in Renfrew/Braehead Area:
- Daytime traffic (06:00 to 19:00) wishing to use the Junction 26 on-slip road will be directed to follow Hillington Interchange to King’s Inch Road and Old Givan Road to join the M8 eastbound at the Junction 25A (Braehead) on-slip road.
- Overnight traffic (19:00 to 06:00) wishing to use the Junction 26 on-slip road will be directed to follow Hillington Interchange to Renfrew Road, Shieldhall Road, and Helen Street to join the M8 eastbound at the Junction 24 (Helen Street Interchange) on-slip road.
South of Hillington Interchange for vehicles in Hillington Industrial Estate area:
- All traffic wishing to use Junction 26 from south of the Interchange will be directed to follow Hillington Road to Paisley Road West, Helen Street, and then join the M8 eastbound via Junction 24 (Helen Street Interchange) on-slip road.
A 40mph speed limit will also be in effect during the project's duration, with average speed cameras in operation, to ensure the safety of the workforce and motorists.
Amey said that overnight closures will be required for traffic management installation and changes as the project progresses, but added that any closures will be communicated in advance on swtrunkroads.scot. Recovery vehicles will also be on-site.
In a statement, Amey added: “Unfortunately, construction noise will be unavoidable for the duration of works. Suitable noise dampening measures will be implemented on-site overnight when undertaking works.”
There is no passage for abnormal loads travelling in the eastbound direction between Junction 27 and 26. Abnormal Loads can travel westbound on the carriageway straddling the two available lanes.
Access for emergency service vehicles will be maintained throughout the works.
The project has been planned in consultation with Transport Scotland, Traffic Scotland, the emergency services, Renfrewshire Council, Glasgow City Council, West Dunbartonshire Council, and Braehead Shopping Centre.
Amey said the project is weather-dependent and may be cancelled or rescheduled if weather conditions are not favourable.
Amey's statement concluded, saying: “Road users are thanked for their patience and understanding while this work is being undertaken.
“Advice is to allow for extra time to complete any journeys during this period, using alternative routes where possible.
“Various road network improvements are taking place across the M8 corridor through Glasgow and these should be considered in any journey planning.”
Updates for the project, including the commencement of each new phase, will be communicated via swtrunkroads.scot.
