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M6-M8 Fastlink

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M6-M8 Fastlink
Fastlink route option section.png
Fastlink route options near Forth, Lanarkshire
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From:  M74 J12 (NS857328)
To:  M8 J4 (NS968653)
Traditional Counties

Lanarkshire • Midlothian • West Lothian

M6-M8 Fastlink was a proposed road which was to run from the M74 J12 at Douglas (at the time, the M74 was to become the M6) to the M8 J4 at Whitburn. The road was supposed to have been privately funded, like the M6 Toll. It seems to have arisen as a recommendation of the report Routes South of Edinburgh. It would have relieved the A702 of long distance traffic between Edinburgh and the (now) A74(M) and shortened the route of other traffic travelling between the eastern part of the M8 and the M74, allowing it to completely avoid Glasgow.

No final route or road standards were ever selected in public for the road; although two route options (codenamed red and blue) were shortlisted.

History

The route was proposed in the late 1980s and several feasibility studies were made around 1990. There are conflicting claims as to whether it would have been a motorway or a high-quality all-purpose dual carriageway.

There has been speculation that it would have been called M7, though no evidence has been brought to light to confirm this speculation, hence it is considered by some to be extremely dubious especially as as Scottish motorways use the number of the A-road which they follow. Others counter that the Fastlink would have been broadly parallel to the A7 in much the same way that the M73 is broadly parallel to the A73.

In the Press

The toll road scheme was reported on 3 October 1989, stating that private enterprise had (the previous day) been invited to build the £100 million M6-M8 Fastlink. Scottish Environment Minister Lord James Douglas-Hamilton said that industry and commerce had been pressing for the link. The reason given for the tolling was that the A74 motorway upgrade had been approved and the Government could not concentrate its funds on another major scheme in the area. It followed a recently published Green Paper “New Roads by New Means”.

He suggested that industry should put up the money and recoup it through tolls, which immediately got a hostile response from motoring and business organisations. The A.A. even thought that the term “Fastlink” would imply that motorists would be able to exceed the 70 mph speed limit. The Scottish Council (Development and Industry) called the tolls preposterous, when costly new motorways in England were free (it was before the M6 Toll which was opened in 2003).

The 25 mile toll road was the most controversial item in the report on future road proposals for south-east Scotland (Routes South of Edinburgh) with projects costing more than £200 million. The report noted that the position of the A1 to Edinburgh had been eroded by the M6 from “Manchester to Carlisle” with most traffic to Edinburgh using this route and the A74, hence the need for Fastlink from Douglas to Whitburn.

The road line had not been finalised (though a number of different route options were drawn up) but was expected to run close to A70 and A706 for much of its length.

It appeared briefly in the press again on 3 December 1993 upon the announcement by Transport Secretary John MacGregor that electronic road charging would be introduced onto Britain's motorways within five years. Lord Douglas-Hamilton welcomed the new scheme saying that they had been looking closely at a contract of this type for Fastlink.

It was brought up again on 18 August 1994 in reponse to an announcement that four schemes in England were being considered to be financed by shadow tolling. The Scottish Office said that it also had four schemes that were being considered, among which was Fastlink between M8 and A74 of which the exact route was still being planned.

The above reports are from Aberdeen Press and Dundee Courier and it is expected that there will be more reports in the Edinburgh, Glasgow and Central Belt press yet to be digitised.

Parliament

The latest mention from a search of Hansard is on 19 May 1994 when the written answer mentioned that feasibility studies were taking place.

Discussion

See the Discussion tab for the link to previous SABRE comments and excerpts from the Scottish Executive website, National Press and Hansard.




M6-M8 Fastlink
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Unbuilt Motorways in Great Britain
ScotlandEast Kilbride M'way • E Link M'way • Edinburgh East Radial • Edinburgh IRR • M6-M8 Fastlink • Fife M'way • Glasgow IRR • Hamilton-Cumbernauld M'way • Johnstone M'way • Lomond M'way • Maryhill M'way • N Link M'way • Paisley-Hamilton M'way • S Link M'way • Trossachs M'way
Northeastern EnglandAire Valley M'Way • CME Bypass • CMW • East Coast M'way • E-W Underground M'way • Friars Goose XingLondon-Tyneside M'way • M1-A1 Link • NE Urban M'way • Sheffield IRR • Sheffield Spur • Shields Road M'way
Northwestern EnglandAltrincham-Sale-Stretford Bypass • Belmont Link • Furness Link • GM Northern Relief Road • GM Western Relief Road • Irwell Valley M'way • Kendal Link • Liverpool Inner M'way • Liverpool-Preston M'Way • M6-M56 Link • Manchester IRR • Morecambe Link • N&W M'way • Ormskirk Bypass • Preston Southern Bypass • Princess P'way M'way • Stockport Bypass (E) • Stockport Bypass (W) • Trafford Park M'way
Midlands & WalesBilston Link • Castle Donnington Bypass • Central Spine • Coventry N-S M'way • Derby Urban M'way • Droitwich-Leicester M'way • East Coast M'way • Hook Road • Llantrisant Radial • London-Tyneside M'way • Malvern Radial • Newport Southern Bypass • N&W M'way • Stoke-Derby&nbspM'way • Strensham-Solihill M'way • Strensham-Solihill M'way • Warndon Radial • Western Orbital • Worcester Western Distributor
Southern EnglandBlackwall-Maplin M'way • Brentwood-Chelmsford M'way • A Ring • Chippenham Spur • Denham Spur • Dover Radial • EXR • Eastern M'way • Euroroute • London-Tyneside M'way • LOX M'way • M3-M4 Link • N&W M'way • Portswood Link • Reading Urban M'way • Ringway 2 • S Bristol Spur • SCRPDR • SXR • Stirling Corner Link • Strensham-Solihill M'way • Strensham-Solihill M'way • TGAAR • Townhill Link • Watford Urban M'Way • Weston Spur • Woodford-Brentford M'way • Woodford-Maplin M'way


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