Arkleston Interchange

Arkleston Interchange is junction 27 (formerly junction 8) of the M8. It is a modified dumbbell layout connecting the motorway to the A741, which passes overhead at a skew. Technically speaking, only one of the four sliproads connects directly to a roundabout, that being the westbound onslip, which diverges from the A741 at the southern roundabout, the exit overlapping with the exit from the neighbouring retail park. This roundabout has four arms, each of the approaches widening to three lanes for turning traffic, while the roundabout has three spiralled lanes. The corresponding westbound offslip almost meets the A741 on the bridge, squeezed as it is by the housing immediately to the south. It then forms a lane gain for the A741 as it turns south to reach the roundabout. The bridge over the motorway is dualled, but in order to accommodate the offslip, the southbound carriageway is reduced to a single lane as it crosses the bridge.

The northern roundabout lies a similar distance away from the motorway, at a pre-existing junction between Renfrew Road (the A741) and Arkleston Road. It is a three arm junction, with two lanes on each of the approaches, and a painted bypass lane from Arkleston Road onto the southbound A741. The motorway slips form a T junction with Arkleston Road a short distance to the east, albeit having priority over local traffic. These short sliproads are very tightly curved to meet the motorway, and have short merge / diverge lengths. The T junction does not permit a right turn from the motorway onto Arkleston Road, but Arkleston Road widens to two lanes westbound to allow traffic to more easily turn left onto the motorway.

Both roundabouts have been added since the junction was opened. Right turns were previously permitted by gaps in the central reservation of the dualled A741.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
M8	Glasgow
M8	Gl'w Airport, Erskine Br., Greenock
A741	Renfrew, Westway
A741	Town Centre, East Kilbride (A726)
	David Lloyd Centre, Arkleston, Oldhall	Arkleston Road
		Renfrew Road
		Sandyford Road
	Abbotinch Retail Park	Washington Road
A8(M)	Gl'w Airport, Erskine ferry, Greenock
A8(M)	Glasgow

Strip Maps

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  Arkleston Interchange as it was in 1968

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  Arkleston Interchange as it was in 1972