Whether it was for the greater good or not, the motorway changed beyond recognition, parts of inner city Glasgow. Buildings were demolished and long-established communities gone, forcing friends, neighbours and relatives to spread out far and wide.
The once heavily-populated areas of Townhead, Cowcaddens, Charing Cross, Anderston and Kinning Park would never be the same again.
Here we take a look at those areas and how the M8 changed them forever.
A version of this article first appeared on our sister site, The Scotsman
1. Townhead
Taking in historic landmarks such as Glasgow Cathedral and Provand’s Lordship, Townhead is one of the oldest parts of the city. In 1962 the decision was taken to make Townhead a Comprehensive Development Area to allow for the construction of the M8 and the expansion of Strathclyde University. A great number of streets, and ancient road layouts, including the legendary kilometre-long Parliamentary Road, vanished in the process. Photo: Glasgow Motorway Archive
2. Townhead
Within just a decade of the CDA declaration, an area once teeming with young working families and vital industry had been replaced with a construction site and a massive motorway interchange. The population of Townhead by the end of the 20th century was around 8,000, less than half the number of people who had lived there a generation before. Photo: TSPL
3. Charing Cross
For many Glaswegians, the destruction of old Charing Cross for the M8 was an unforgivable act of urban vandalism as it destroyed many fine examples of architecture. Photo: Glasgow Motorway Archive
4. St George's Cross
Today, the M8 cuts a deep canyon through the heart of Charing Cross, continuing north towards another barely-recognisable old junction, St George’s Cross. Photo: TSPL