Drivers thanked for 'patience' during £500 million motorway upgrade
Economy Secretary Keith Brown said it has been a significant challenge'' to keep traffic moving during a £500 million motorway improvement project.
Work to upgrade the M8/M73/M74 motorways in central Scotland is due to finish in 2017, with Mr Brown thanking travellers for their continued patience'' throughout the project.
He said when the work is completed drivers will benefit from a vastly-improved motorway network fit for the 21st century''.
The project could reduce journey times between Glasgow and Edinburgh by as much as 20 minutes, according to Transport Scotland.
Mr Brown took to the skies in a light aircraft to see the progress being made on the project, which is part of the Scottish Government's infrastructure investment programme.
He said: As this major project to upgrade the main route between Edinburgh and Glasgow enters its final stages, it's important to recognise the substantial amount of new infrastructure that has already been built, including several strategic junctions which are now nearing completion - including Shawhead, Chapelhall and the new underpass at Raith.
I'd also like to thank the thousands of road users who travel through the works on a daily basis for their continued patience and would ask that they bear with us as we approach the final stages of construction as works gets under way to tie the new roads in with the existing roads in the new year.''
Mr Brown added: It's been a significant challenge to keep the 100,000 vehicles which use these routes every day moving whilst undertaking a project of this scale and complexity.
However, the end is now within sight and the benefits to motorists will soon be realised.''
He said the Scottish Government's infrastructure investment plan was delivering major improvements, with projects worth a total of almost #6 billion currently under construction.
The Economy Secretary said: We will now inject a further £167 million of spending to accelerate planned projects and maintain Scotland's trunk roads.
Our total investment in our motorways and trunk roads has risen from £830 million in 2016-17 to £997 million in 2017-18, an increase of 17.9%.
This investment will bring economic benefits, support jobs and will also improve the infrastructure of our public services for years to come.''