M8

M8
View gallery (154)
From:	Edinburgh, Midlothian (NT180710)
To:	Bishopton, Renfrewshire (NS407731)
Length:	61 miles (98.2 km)
Meets:	M9, M73, M74, M77, M80, M898
Former Number(s):	A8(M)
Primary Destinations
Edinburgh • Glasgow •
Highways Authorities
Transport Scotland
Traditional Counties
Midlothian  • West Lothian  • Lanarkshire  • Renfrewshire
Route outline (key)
M8 Edinburgh – Airdrie M8 Airdrie – Coatbridge M8 Coatbridge – Bishopton
Junction List
Junc Westbound Eastbound 1 Start of road A720, A71 2 M9 M9 3 A899 A899 3A A779 (A89) A89, A779 4 A801 A801 5 B7057, (B7066) B7057, (B7066) 6 A8, A73 Start of road 6 A73; A8 No Exit - No Exit A8, B799, (B802) - No Exit A8 - A725 No Exit 8 A8, M73 A89, A8, M73 8 Start of road A89, M73; A8 9 No Exit Springhill 10 Easterhouse Easterhouse 11 B765 B765 12 A80 A80 13 M80 (M80) 14 No Exit B763 15 A803 A803 16 (A81) No Exit - Maryhill Motorway Maryhill Motorway 17 A82 A82 18 No Exit A804 18 A804 No Exit 19 A814 (access from j20 only) A814 20 (A730), (M74) No Exit 20 No Exit A8, M74 21 No Exit M77 (via u-turn), Shields Road 22 M77 Outer Carriageway for j20 & 21, (M74), (M77) 23 B768 No Exit 24 A761 A761 25 A739 A739 25A Braehead No exit 26 A736 A736 27 A741 A741 28 Glasgow Airport No Exit 28A A737 No Exit 29 A726 A726, A737 - A8 A8 30 M898 M898 31 A8 Start of road

For detailed information about this topic, see CBRD Motorway Database

The M8 is a motorway linking Edinburgh to Greenock via Glasgow. The Renfrew Bypass section once held the number A8(M). The Harthill bypass section, opened in November 1964 but not then extending either east to J4 or west to J5, was the second stretch of motorway in Scotland (or third if the A823(M) spur is counted separately from the M90).

Where the motorway passes close to the centre of Glasgow it forms part of the (still incomplete) Glasgow Inner Ring Road and is both the busiest and widest motorway in Scotland and the most elaborate urban motorway in Britain. As at 2012, there is a gap in the motorway to the east of Glasgow, completion of which has been proposed for many years and is likely to start in the next year or so.

Not all of the M8 was built on a new alignment. A stretch each side of junction 5, totalling about 2.6 miles, was an online upgrade a section of A8 built in the 1930s.

Junctions

Townhead Interchange

Main Article: Townhead Interchange

The notorious Junction 15, where the M8 meets the A803. It was designed as one of the corners of the never-completed Glasgow Inner Ring Road, complete with Offside Sliproads!

Charing Cross and Anderston Junctions

Main Article: Charing Cross

A sequence of junctions labelled as 17/18 and 19, but with almost constant on and off slips as the M8 makes its way across the west end of the city centre. Along the way it meets the A82, A804 and A814 amongst others.

Services

Heart of Scotland services

Main Article: Heart of Scotland services

Heart of Scotland services (formerly Harthill) are located between junctions 4 and 5, and was the first MSA in Scotland.

Structures

Kingston Bridge

Main Article: Kingston Bridge

The Kingston Bridge carries the Glasgow Inner Ring Road section of M8 across the River Clyde just to the west of the city centre. The bridge has five traffic lanes in each direction, but no hard shoulders. The two outer lanes southbound are weaving lanes connecting the on and off slips either side of the river. On the north bound side of the bridge, the two outer lanes are now segregated from the main carriageway, primarily to prevent the weaving movements. These two lanes are, despite not actually connecting to the rest of the M8 in any way, still designated as part of the Motorway.

Opening Dates

Links

CBRD

• Motorway Database: M8
• CBRD Histories: Glasgow

Pathetic Motorways

• A8(M) Renfrew Bypass
• Glasgow Inner Ring Road

M8 Completion

• Official Site

Glasgows Motorways

• M8 Index Page

M8

Junctions Anderston Interchange  • Arkleston Interchange  • Baillieston Interchange  • Blochairn Interchange  • Braehead  • Cardonald Interchange  • Chapelhall Junction  • Charing Cross (Glasgow)  • Claylands Interchange  • Craigton Interchange  • Cumbernauld Road Interchange  • Detchmont Interchange  • Dobbies Loan  • Dumbreck Road Interchange  • Easterhouse Road Interchange  • Eurocentral Junction  • Glasgow Airport Interchange  • Helen Street Interchange  • Hermiston Gait  • Hillington Interchange  • Kingston Junction  • Newbridge Junction  • Newhouse Junction  • Plantation Road Interchange  • Port Dundas Interchange  • Provan Interchange  • Seaward Street Interchange  • Shawhead Junction  • Shotts Interchange  • Southbar Interchange  • St James Interchange  • Starlaw Interchange  • Stepps Road Interchange  • Townhead Interchange  • West Ferry Interchange  • West Street Interchange  • Westerhouse Road Interchange  • Whitburn Interchange  •

Services Heart of Scotland services  •

Crossings Erskine Bridge  • Kingston Bridge  •

Roads E05  • E16  • E31 (via Newcastle)  • E33 (London - Glasgow)  •

Miscellaneous Future:M8 Newhouse - Baillieston  • Glasgow Airport  •

Related Pictures View gallery (154)

Other nearby roads Edinburgh A1  • A1/Dunbar - Portobello  • A1/Portobello - Central Edinburgh  • A1140  • A199  • A6095  • A6096 (Edinburgh)  • A6106  • A68  • A7  • A70  • A700  • A701  • A702  • A703  • A71  • A720  • A772  • A7a  • A8  • A89  • A9  • A9/Edinburgh - Stirling  • A90  • A900  • A901  • A902  • A903  • A904  • A982 (Edinburgh)  • B1350  • B6415  • B700  • B701  • B7030  • B900  • B901  • B9080  • B9085  • B924  • Borders Historic Route  • E15  • E16  • E31 (via Newcastle)  • E32 (Old System)  • Fife Coastal Route  • Forth Valley Tourist Route  • M9  • M90  • NCN1  • NCN76  • T1 (Britain)  • T26 (Britain)  • T27 (Britain)  • T86 (Britain)  • T89 (Britain)  • West Approach Road  • Livingston A705  • A7066  • A71  • A767  • A779  • A89  • A899  • B7015  • B7031  • B707 (Mid Calder - Philpstoun)  • B708 (Bathgate - Livingston)  • B8046  • E16  • E31 (via Newcastle)  • T27 (Britain)  • Glasgow A726  • A727  • A727 (Gorbals Cross - Clarkston Toll)  • A728 (East Glasgow)  • A728 (South Glasgow)  • A729  • A730  • A731  • A732  • A736  • A739  • A74  • A749  • A754 (Renfrewshire)  • A761  • A763  • A77  • A8  • A80  • A802  • A803  • A804  • A804 (Kelvingrove - Townhead)  • A805  • A806  • A806 (Canniesburn - Scotstoun)  • A808  • A809  • A81  • A814  • A82  • A876 (Glasgow)  • A877  • A879  • A89  • B7053  • B7058  • B744 (Muirkirk - Glasgow)  • B759  • B760  • B761 (Glasgow)  • B762  • B762 (Braidfauld-Shettleston)  • B763  • B763 (Dalmarnock - Parkhead)  • B765  • B765 (Rutherglen)  • B766  • B767  • B768  • B769  • B773  • B8030  • B8049  • B805 (Barlanark)  • B8050  • B807  • B808  • B808 (Millerston - St Rollox)  • B809  • B810 (Great Western Road)  • B811  • B812 (Glasgow - Bardowie)  • E05  • E111 (Old System)  • E16  • E31 (via Carlisle)  • E31 (via Newcastle)  • E33 (London - Glasgow)  • East Kilbride Motorway  • East Link Motorway  • Glasgow Inner Ring Road  • Hamilton - Cumbernauld Motorway  • Lomond Motorway  • M73  • M74  • M74 and A74(M) History  • M77  • M80  • M81  • M82  • M83  • Maryhill Motorway  • Military Way  • North Link Motorway  • Paisley - Hamilton Motorway  • South Link Motorway  • T12 (Britain)  • T27 (Britain)  • T28 (Britain)  • T91 (Britain)  • Trossachs Motorway  • Paisley A726  • A737  • A740 (Paisley - Old Kilpatrick)  • A741  • A761  • A8(M)  • B7050  • B771  • B772  • B773 (Paisley Abbey)  • B774  • B775  • B789  • B789 (Paisley)  • E05  • Johnstone Motorway  • Paisley - Hamilton Motorway  • Greenock A742  • A761  • A770  • A771  • A78  • A8  • A825 (Gourock)  • B7054  • B788  • E05  • T91 (Britain)  •

Motorways in Great Britain Current Motorways M1 • M2 • M3 • M4 • M5 • M6 • M6 Toll • M8 • M9 • M11 • M18 • M20 • M23 • M25 • M26 • M27 • M32 • M40 • M42 • M45 • M48 • M49 • M50 • M53 • M54 • M55 • M56 • M57 • M58 • M60 • M61 • M62 • M65 • M66 • M67 • M69 • M73 • M74 • M77 • M80 • M90 • M180 • M181 • M271 • M275 • M602 • M606 • M621 • M876 • M898 • A1(M) • A3(M) • A14(M) • A38(M) • A48(M) • A57(M) • A58(M) • A64(M) • A66(M) • A74(M) • A92(M) • A167(M) • A168(M) • A194(M) • A195(M) • A308(M) • A329(M) • A404(M) • A601(M) • A627(M) • A635(M) • A666(M) • A823(M) • A1058(M) • Motorway Spurs Former Motorways M10 • M15 • M16 • M30 • M41 • M52 • M62 • M63 • M64 • M65 • M68 • M85 • M111 • M270 • M274 • M531 • M600 • A2(M) • A4(M) • A5(M) • A8(M) • A11(M) • A18(M) • A20(M) • A23(M) • A36(M) • A40(M) • A40(M) • A41(M) • A46(M) • A48(M) • A48(M) • A65(M) • A102(M) • A102(M) • A423(M) • A446(M) • A604(M) • A638(M) • A696(M) • A1231(M) • A6127(M) • A6138(M) • A6144(M) Unbuilt Motorways M4 Toll • M12 • M13 • M17 • M19 • M31 • M58 • M59 • M60 • M64 • M81 • M82 • M83 • M100 • M272 • M273 • M601 • M650 • A2(M) • A6(M) • A6(M) • A59(M) • A61(M) • A556(M) • A695(M) • Unnumbered Motorways Fictional Motorways M91 • M96 • M101 • M399

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