M8 Query + A8(M)

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Duncan macknight
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M8 Query + A8(M)

Post by Duncan macknight »

Happy Friday all
As I was in Falkirk for an interview I decided to go for a cruise around the motorway network. Of course a visit to the A8 was in order BUT the “A8(M) Glasgow” sign has been replaced with a sign that simply says “A8 Glasgow”. Has it gone or is this another A92(M)??

Also driving along the M8 any reason why some of the bridges has “F25” etc stamped on them?
PaulLothian
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Re: M8 Query + A8(M)

Post by PaulLothian »

No idea about the signage. As far as the numbering issue is concerned, I seem to remember that it is on foot bridges. Possibly to help the public accurately report signs of antisocial behaviour taking place on the bridge?
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Re: M8 Query + A8(M)

Post by PaulLothian »

Accidentally resubmitted post.
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HandShandy
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Re: M8 Query + A8(M)

Post by HandShandy »

I can answer these as I work for the company assigned for the maintenance of the infamous A8(M), A92 and those footbridges.

The A8(M) still exists in a legal sense as "The Baillieston to Swinton Motorway" and behind the scenes it is still referred to as such. The decision to remove the A8(M) plate was taken by Transport Scotland to provide consistent and less confusing signage to the road user. That's all I know for now.

The numbers you see on the bridges are the actual structure names that are still valid to this day. These are internal references for Transport Scotland and operating companies to keep track of the structures in our databases. The F means "footbridge" and the number after is the reference to the order of the structures from East to West (I think)

Why these references are splattered across just these structures and not others with the exception of high mast light columns in Scotland is a bit of a mystery. I've been told that it's certainly not desirable by Transport Scotland to have these internal references made visible in this way. On alot of major road shemes the bridges are numbered like this by the designers/contractors (EG: Gantry 4, Culvert 12, Structure 40) and somehow in the case of these footbridges that has somehow made it to being printed on the bridge itself.

The A92/A92(M) issue is one I've tried to investigate internally, I even bumped into a guy who was a senior engineer for Morrisons construction who worked on the scheme when it was built in 1997 who couldn't provide me with any insight abput the numbering. It is, internally referred to as the M90 and I presume that is it's legal sense aswell (someone can check Hansard). No one in the business refers to it as the A92(M). My colleagues often referred to it as "The crossgates spur". I know there is "that sign" that says A92 and it's in blue which in my interpretation means that it is A92 from where you leave the M90 at J2A but under motorway regulations making it a secret motorway of sorts. The sign could also be wrong though.

As much as I romanticize about the A92(M), I just don't think it's a "thing" otherwise the hundreds of people I've met and worked on that network would have said something by now based on my relentless questioning about it.

That A92(M) saga was like a long lost treasure to me, I nearly went mad trying to get an authoritative answer on it over the years. The only thing I took away from it is that there isn't an answer. Not because no one knows but ultimately because no one really cares what that little bit of road was called. Very few people in the business are road geeks like us :(
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nowster
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Re: M8 Query + A8(M)

Post by nowster »

HandShandy wrote:The A8(M) still exists in a legal sense as "The Baillieston to Swinton Motorway" and behind the scenes it is still referred to as such. The decision to remove the A8(M) plate was taken by Transport Scotland to provide consistent and less confusing signage to the road user. That's all I know for now.
Is that stretch a motorway under special roads legislation? Is there adequate signage to ensure that the general public are aware that this is still a motorway?
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Re: M8 Query + A8(M)

Post by A9NWIL »

nowster wrote:
HandShandy wrote:The A8(M) still exists in a legal sense as "The Baillieston to Swinton Motorway" and behind the scenes it is still referred to as such. The decision to remove the A8(M) plate was taken by Transport Scotland to provide consistent and less confusing signage to the road user. That's all I know for now.
Is that stretch a motorway under special roads legislation? Is there adequate signage to ensure that the general public are aware that this is still a motorway?
When I drove along that tiny bit from Baillieston roundabout and back again it had a sign for motorway restrictions at the opposite end to the Baillieston roundabout and an end of motorway regs sign that end too. So it certainly appeared to under motorway regulations at the time.
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orudge
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Re: M8 Query + A8(M)

Post by orudge »

As I recall from PM the motorway had an “A8(M)” sign at one end and “M8” at the other.

If they’re not wanting to explicitly label A8(M), then one end should be labelled “(A8)” and the other end “(M8)”. It’s not clear to me from the first post here if the new A8 sign is bracketed, or if it’s just a blue sign with A8 on it?

A shame though that our newest and shortest motorway is now also a secret motorway.
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Re: M8 Query + A8(M)

Post by Osthagen »

I know that 'F-' (as in F25) is an inside term referring to footbridges. It's rarely seen outside of legal documents and the like though.
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Duncan macknight
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Re: M8 Query + A8(M)

Post by Duncan macknight »

orudge wrote:As I recall from PM the motorway had an “A8(M)” sign at one end and “M8” at the other.

If they’re not wanting to explicitly label A8(M), then one end should be labelled “(A8)” and the other end “(M8)”. It’s not clear to me from the first post here if the new A8 sign is bracketed, or if it’s just a blue sign with A8 on it?

A shame though that our newest and shortest motorway is now also a secret motorway.
Thanks for your answers btw . The A8 sign is not in brackets, The M876 sign http://pathetic.org.uk/current/m876/pho ... _JPG.shtml is full of brackets and here they couldn't spare some..
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