Hillington Interchange

Hillington Interchange is junction 26 of the M8. The junction is a large signalised roundabout interchange with the A736 passing under the motorway. There are three or four circulatory lanes, with three or four approach lanes on each arm of the junction. The Westbound M8 offslip only has three lanes, but this is probably because it has a segregated left turn lane which meets the southbound A736 at a give way line and therefore bypasses the signals.

History

The interchange as it opened in 1968

The junction originally opened in spring 1968 as the eastern temporary terminus of the M8 Renfrew bypass section. Rather than the eastern arm of the junction being unfinished stubs, however, it merged into the A8, which still runs alongside. This meant that the A8 was turned to form the northern arm of the junction, and its original direct line appears to have been temporarily closed. The southern arm of the junction is depicted on the OS One Inch Map from 1968 (left) as still being the B770. However, it was very quickly upgraded to become the A754, and it may be that the map is incorrect.

It was not until 1976 that the Motorway was extended east towards the city centre, and the new alignment was built alongside the existing A8 dual carriageway. this led to the reopening and possible reconstruction of the old link, which had been out of use since 1968. The A754 was extended north at this time to meet the A8, but has since been renumbered as part of the re-routed A736.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
M8	Greenock, Erskine Br. (M898), Glasgow Airport, Paisley (A741)
M8	Glasgow & Edinburgh
A736	Renfrew (A8), Braehead	former A754
A736	Hillington	former A754
A8(M)	Greenock, Erskine ferry, Glasgow Airport, Paisley (A741)
A8	Renfrew
A8	Glasgow, Edinburgh
A754	Hillington	former B770