The Project

The project completes the missing link between the end of the M74 at Fullarton Road Junction near Carmyle and the M8 motorway west of Kingston Bridge near Glasgow city centre.

Map of the route 

The 5 mile (8 kilometre) motorway link comprises three lanes in each direction and a hard shoulder on each side.

Construction work on the road began in May 2008 and was completed in 2011.

Scottish Ministers are committed to creating a wealthier and fairer Scotland by opening up opportunities, reducing congestion and investing in easing the commute.

This project is part of a massive infrastructure investment in Scotland’s transport network which includes a new rail link which opened in December 2010 between Airdrie in the West and Bathgate in the East and further improvements to the central Scotland motorway network. The M74 Completion project will play a key role in achieving Ministers’ objectives, which include:

• grow Scotland’s economy by improving transport links in the west of Scotland, to other parts of Scotland and to the UK more generally
• bring new jobs, particularly along the M74 route but also across the west of Scotland
• help with the regeneration of the south and east of Glasgow, Rutherglen and Cambuslang; the M74 plays a key role in the Clyde Gateway regeneration project
• improve journey times and reduce traffic congestion on roads across Glasgow and South Lanarkshire
• improve road safety by reducing road accidents by an average of 25 to 35 accidents each year in the first 20 years after opening
• the M74 plays a key role in the Transport Plan for Scotland's delivery of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014.

Virtual image of M74

The construction contract was let to the Interlink M74 Joint Venture in early March 2008 for a fixed price of just under £445 million, plus a £12 million allowance for possible mine workings along the route. About £200 million has already been spent on land and advanced works.

In addition a number of businesses and factories have been relocated with the assistance of an independent Business Relocation Team which has been working closely with affected businesses for a number of years.

In advance of the work starting a number of archaeological excavations took place along the route of the motorway. The M74 Dig takes advantage of the opportunities offered by the construction of the road to unearth, preserve and record some of the undiscovered history of Glasgow and its surrounding areas.

Visit the M74 Dig for more details on the dig and its public archaeology programme.