The Government of Scotland is to open a section of road on M8 motorway, which is expected to cut the travel time between Glasgow and Edinburgh. 

The so-called ‘missing link’ is reported to have been completed five days ahead of the schedule. The new seven-mile road will run between Newhouse and the Baillieston region Glasgow city. 

The westbound carriageway of the new M8 will open to the traffic on 23 April and the eastbound carriageway will be opened a week later.

The announcement was made by the Scottish Government as the works on the £500m M8 M73 M74 motorway improvements project are nearing completion.

The improvements project is part of the £1.7bn investment in construction announced by the government for this financial year. It will be the first project that will be delivered this year.

"This investment will make a tangible difference to our economy, improving business links and connectivity."

Improvements will see the addition of a new All Purpose Road between Newhouse and Baillieston in order to segregate local traffic with the other types, enhancing the journey reliability and reducing travel times during peak hours. 

For delivering this project, the Scottish Government has been working with Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP), and other financial organisations such as European Investment Bank and Allianz Global Investors.

SRP is a consortium formed by companies that include Cintra, Amey, Meridiam and Aberdeen Asset Management.

Scotland Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities Keith Brown said: “The new M8 will be a major milestone in what is a massive transport infrastructure project and I’m pleased to say the phased opening will start five days ahead of schedule.

“We are now close to seeing the culmination of three years of construction works and half a billion pounds worth of investment to improve this vital link between Scotland’s biggest cities.

“This investment will make a tangible difference to our economy, improving business links and connectivity, as well as reducing journey times for road users who rely on this route for part of their daily commutes.”