M8 roadworks: When will junction 17 reopen? Date works will end and why they’re taking place

The M8 roadworks at junction 16, which include the closure of junction 17, have been in place for over a year.

Four lanes of the motorway in each direction have been narrowed to two over the Woodside viaduct north of the city centre since March 2021.

Why are the roadworks in place?

The outer lanes of the 50-year-old viaduct have been shut between junctions 16 and 17 as a safety precaution after it was found to be in a poorer than expected condition.

Amey, which maintains the motorway for Transport Scotland, said the restrictions would be removed once the viaduct had been temporarily propped up to enable its “supporting crossheads” to be repaired.

When will junction 17 reopen?

Some drivers may have been confused recently as Google maps has been directing them to exit the M8 at junction 17, which still remains closed.

The roadworks will be in place until viaduct works are finished in autumn 2023.

Speaking to The Scotsman ahead of COP26, Neil Greig, the Scotland-based policy and research director of IAM RoadSmart, said: “The M8 is worn out and needs this long overdue TLC, but the prospect of another 24 months of lane closures will be a bitter pill for tens of thousands of Scots drivers.

"The impact on the economy and the environment of these measures does not seem to play any part in at least trying to minimise the delays.”