Night-time closure of M8 planned to demolish footbridge at Sighthill

A section of Scotland's busiest road, the M8, will close for a 12-hour period on Saturday 1 August to allow construction teams to demolish a deteriorating footbridge to the north of Glasgow city centre.

The footbridge, which connects Baird Street in Glasgow city centre to the Sighthill area, will be replaced with a landmark new pedestrian and cycle bridge (pictured above), providing a sustainable transport corridor between central and north Glasgow. This project will be completed in late 2021.

The full closure of the M8 is planned for the night of Saturday 1 August 2020, 22:00 - 10:00hrs.

To deliver the work, a 1000-tonne crane will be positioned on the road throughout the closure and will be used to remove the pedestrian bridge in two sections. The sections of concrete will be removed from site using HGVs parked on the carriageway.

The work is being delivered as part of the £250million regeneration of Sighthill, the biggest such project in the UK outside of London. The new bridge will provide the area with a landmark new crossing, creating a sustainable transport corridor between Sighthill, North Glasgow and Glasgow city centre.

The demolition work will be delivered by BAM Nuttall of behalf of Glasgow City Council.

Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of the Glasgow City Region Cabinet, said: "This section of the M8 is one of the busiest routes on the city's road network, so this work has been meticulously planned to keep the impact on traffic to an absolute minimum.

"The demolition is the first step in a fantastic project to deliver a stunning new pedestrian and cycle route over the M8, connecting Sighthill and neighbouring communities to the city centre. We hope that regular travelers on this route will enjoy seeing the improvements emerging as the works are continued."

Further road closures to complete the construction of the new crossing are planned in the summer of 2021. Further details will be made available closer to the time.

Road closure details:

Westbound

1. Total closure of M8 Main Carriageway at Jn 15 Stirling Road Westbound off slip ( Royal Infirmary )

2. Total closure of Jn 15, Loop U Westbound on slip from A803 S/B.

3. Total Closure of Jn 15, Stirling Road Westbound on slip from A803 N/B.

    

   Diversion Route

   1. Jn 15 Stirling Rd W/B off slip - Stirling Rd - Cathedral St - North Hanover St - Dobbies Loan - Phoenix Rd - Jn 17 Phoenix Rd W/B on slip.

   2) A803 S/B - Castle St - A803 N/B - Join Diversion 1.

   3) A803 N/B - A803 N/B off slip to A804 Baird Street - Baird Street - Join Diversion 1.

    

   Eastbound

    

   Closure :- Full Closure of Eastbound Carriageway between Jn 15 and 18 incl. Jn 16 Eastbound on slip, Jn 17 Eastbound on slip from A82 and Jn 19 Eastbound on slip from A814.

1. Total Closure of Jn 19 Anderson Eastbound on slip.

2. Total closure of M8 Eastbound carriageway.

3. Total closure of Jn 18 Charing Cross Eastbound on slip.

4. Total closure of Jn 17 Great Western Road Eastbound on slip.

5. Total closure of Jn 16 Craighall Road on slip.

    

   Diversion Route

1. North Street - St Georges Road - Phoenix Road - Dobbies Loan - Kyle Street - Baird Street - Castle Street - Jn 15 Castle Street Eastbound on slip.

2. M8 Jn 18 St Georges Road off slip - Follow Diversion 1.

3. Follow Diversion 1.

4. A82 Great Western Road - West Graham Street - Garscube Road - Follow Diversion

5. Craighall Road - Follow Diversion 1.

The regeneration of Sighthill - the Sighthill Transformational Regeneration Area - is a partnership between Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Housing Association, and the Scottish Government, with additional funding from the Glasgow City Region City Deal, which is funded by the Scottish and UK Governments.