Major roadworks which sparked tailbacks on one of Scotland’s busiest motorways are to end early.  

Transport Scotland’s operating company BEAR Scotland said that “additional resources” have been found to allow them to complete resurfacing work on the M8 at Harthill ahead of schedule. 

Westbound traffic has been restricted to a single lane since Saturday 7 September, inflicting long delays on motorists heading to Glasgow from Edinburgh.  

Daytime restrictions will now be removed on the evening of Saturday 14 September, one week ahead of schedule. 

However, some works will still need to be completed, meaning motorists will have to endure more delays.  

In order to safely remove cones and signs that have been in place to manage traffic, two overnight closures of the M8 eastbound at Junction 5 will be required on the nights of Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 September from 20:30 until 06:00.  

A signed diversion route will be in place on these nights from Junction 5 to Junction 4A via the B7057, B7066 and Balgornie Road, adding approximately four minutes and 0.4 miles to affected journeys. 

The westbound carriageway of the M8 will then be closed from 20:30 until 06:00 on the nights of Monday 16, Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 September, to allow resurfacing works around Harthill Services to be completed.  


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A signed diversion route will be in place on these nights from Junction 4A to Junction 5 via Balgornie Road, the B7066 and the B7057, again adding approximately four minutes and 0.4 miles to affected journeys. 

Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times. 

Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland’s South East Network Manager, said: “The team has made faster than expected progress on this major resurfacing scheme after additional resources were deployed. 

“This has been a significantly deeper and more comprehensive resurfacing project than is typically carried out during overnight closures. We fully appreciate how disruptive daytime lane restrictions are, so we’re pleased to be able to remove these early. 

“We thank road users for their patience and understanding.”