Colin Loughran, CEO of Lagan Construction Group has officially signed the contract for our works on the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project, Scotland.
The Project which is being delivered on behalf of Transport Scotland will be designed, built, financed and operated by Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP) which is a consortium of companies made up of Meridiam Infrastructure, Scottish Widow’s Investment Partnership, Amey and Cintra. The Construction of the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project will be delivered by Lagan Construction Group and Ferrovial Agroman and the Project roads will be maintained by Amey.
The Project will complete the central Scotland motorway network between Glasgow and Edinburgh by upgrading the A8 trunk road between Baillieston and Newhouse to full motorway standards.
The key parameters include 37km of motorway, 25km of which will be upgraded / built during construction, 7km of dual three lane carriage way, 3km dual two lane carriageway, 5km of dual two lane all-purpose road and 10km upgrade of existing motorway with new lanes. The Operation and Maintenance Company will manage 37km. It also includes work to improve the Raith Interchange and widening key sections of the M8, M73 and M74.
In total the Project will deliver 70 structures, this will consist of 8 new bridges, 15 other new structures, whilst 37 existing ones will be replaced, extended and strengthened.
The new section of road between Glasgow and Edinburgh will shave up to 18 minutes off journeys at peak times for drivers travelling between the two cities.
This represents one of the largest road projects Lagan have been involved in and this success is a very prestigious Infrastructure Project for the business.
Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond visited the Project on the 19th March as construction of the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project officially got underway. As one of Scotland’s largest transport infrastructure schemes, the £500million contract will create 1,000 construction jobs over the next three years, including at least 50 graduate, apprenticeship and job-start posts. The First Minister attended a Groundbreaking Ceremony on site at the existing A8 near Shawhead to mark the start of construction and meet members of the Project team.
The Project which is scheduled for completion in Spring 2017 will open up new opportunities for the business which already has a strong presence in Scotland through previous Projects that have been delivered.