FAQs
Why have there been road works along the A8 road in the past number of years?
Works have been undertaken to refurbish the A8 and were completed in 2004. The works were necessary to increase the lifespan of the structural pavement and to improve the safety of road users. The A8 was not upgraded to motorway standards, and whilst its capacity was not increased significantly, the operational efficiency of the road has improved as a result of these major maintenance works.
What happened to the previous proposal to upgrade the A8 to motorway?
Various options for upgrading the A8 corridor between Baillieston and Newhouse have been considered for a number of years. The most recent of these proposals would have provided a new motorway and a parallel all-purpose collector-distributor road to provide access to the local road network at each of the existing junction locations. The tendering process for this scheme was abandoned in 1997 but the statutory orders remain in place and legal title to the land acquired for the scheme has been vested in Scottish Ministers.
Who are the Consultants, and what are they doing?
Following the Scottish Minister's decision announced in January 2003 and a competitive tender immediately afterwards, MouchelFairhurst Joint Venture (MFJV) a joint venture comprising Mouchel Parkman Services Limited and WA Fairhurst & Partners were commissioned as the lead Consultants. MFJV are supported primarily by SiAS (Traffic & Transport Consultants) and Young Associates (Environmental Consultants) with other specialists supporting the Team.
The commission brief is to identify and examine options for upgrading to motorway standard the transport corridor between Baillieston and Newhouse and to recommend the best value scheme for Ministerial approval. As part of this process the consultants have:
- examined a number of route and junction strategies within the A8 corridor, together with associated and consequential improvements at other points on the trunk road network
- identified the best-value solution, taking into account the Governments’s five primary transport assessment objectives (environment, safety, economy, accessibility and integration) and the value of previous public investment in the corridor
- developed a conceptual design for the upgraded corridor for the purposes of promoting any necessary statutory orders and for procurement of the new roads through an appropriate form of contract
Are any improvements being considered for other parts of the local trunk road network?
Consequential and complementary improvements elsewhere on the local trunk road network may be identified by the consultants. Such works might be necessary, for instance, to ensure that the Baillieston to Newhouse improvements will operate efficiently, or to address any adverse impacts on the wider network which may result from the improved operation of the A8 corridor.
