Drivers using Scotland’s busiest road are set for nine months of disruption due to roadworks.

Work on Junction 26 on the M8 – spanning both the eastbound and westbound carriageways – will begin on Monday.

With the exception of a brief break for the festive period, disruption on the road, which is used by 150,000 people a day, is set to run until 10 May next year.

The £10m programme will focus around upgrading and refurbishing four bridges around Junction 26, which have become riddled with potholes.

Four bridges around Junction 26 of the M8 were built back in 1968 and carry the M8 over both local roads and the railway.

As time has passed, wear and tear on the surfaces has grown considerably, particularly with potholes.

After a constant run of emergency repairs needing to be carried out on the bridges, a full resurfacing, with repairs, of the bridges is now required.

The affected bridges are Hillington Interchange East, Hillington Interchange West, Hillington Rail and Hillington Slip.

As well as the surfaces, the existing edge parapets and central reservation barriers are in poor condition and not compliant with current standards.

They will be either strengthened or replaced entirely.

Two lanes westbound and eastbound will be maintained throughout the works.

The work will be carried out over five phases, running from 8 September until 10 May.

The first phase will run until 1 October, with a contraflow system established on the M8’s mainline carriageway at Junction 26 – meaning traffic will go in the opposite direction to how it should normally flow.

Lane Two and Lane Three of the eastbound carriageway and narrow running lanes will be closed during this phase.

A total closure of the eastbound on-slip road will be implemented as well, and traffic will be diverted as a result.

In daytime hours, drivers north of the Hillington Interchange for vehicles in the Renfrew and Braehead area should follow the interchange to King’s Inch Road and Old Govan Road, before joining the M8 eastbound at the Junction 25A (Braehead) on-slip road.

After 19:00 drivers should join the M8 eastbound at the Junction 24 (Helen Street Interchange) on-slip road.

Traffic wishing to use Junction 26 from south of the interchange will be directed to join the M8 eastbound via Junction 24 on-slip road.

Phase 2 will begin 2 October and run until 14 December. It will result in lanes 1 and 2 being closed going eastbound, along with the eastbound on-slip road remaining closed.

The third phase then begins 15 December, and will see barrier upgrades being implemented.

Lane 3 will be closed both eastwards and westwards while this goes on. It will last until 8 February, with a break for the Christmas period lasting from 18 December until 5 January.

Phase 4 runs from 9 February until 2 March, and will feature Lanes 2 and 3 being closed going westbound, with the westbound offslip will be closed at night and for a single weekend.

Ominously for drivers, road maintenance company Amey notes that “significant delays” are anticipated at this time.

Lastly, the final phase will be from 3 March next year until 10 May.

The Junction 26 westbound off-slip will remain closed at night, with contraflow in westbound lanes 1 and 2.

Yes. 40mph speed restrictions will be implemented on both westbound and eastbound lanes.

Amey says the move is needed to ensure the safety of both workers on the site, and the public in general.

The first phase of work – starting Monday – is initially focused around preparing to install temporary average speed cameras.

The works then progresses over the following months to bridge waterproofing, concrete repairs, resurfacing, expansion joint replacements, edge beam strengthening, and barrier upgrades.

Delays are expected, but Amey appears to be optimistic for the first phase of work.

Using traffic modelling – where traffic patterns are simulated – the maximum delays westbound and eastbound are expected to be up to six minutes off-peak and up to 15 minutes during peak times.

However, phases 4 and 5, where the majority of work will be on the westbound lanes, are expected to bring significant delays.

Amey says the work is essential to ensure the motorway remains safe and reliable.

“Proactive maintenance now helps us avoid the risk of deterioration that could lead to more disruptive closures in future,” a spokesman said.

“By carrying out these works now, we are protecting a vital part of Scotland’s trunk road network.

“The investment will reduce the risk of unplanned closures and ensure that the M8 can continue to support communities, road users and businesses across the region.”

The upcoming improvements are not the only work taking place on the M8.

Temporary repairs to the Woodside Viaduct, near Charing Cross, have already been going on for four years, and it was announced last month that the work will not conclude until the second half of 2027 – considerably later than the original planned date of late 2023.

Maintenance work on footbridges at Kirkwood Street and Cornwall Street is set to last until December this year.

Resurfacing work around Charing Cross will continue throughout September, while masonry repairs at Junction 15 are expected to finish in the coming week.