THE missing link in the motorway between Glasgow and Stirling has moved a step closer to completion.
THE missing link in the motorway between Glasgow and Stirling has moved a step closer to completion.
A £320million contract to build an 11-mile stretch of road between Stepps and Haggs, near Castlecary, has been awarded to a road-building consortium.
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson appointed Highway Management (Scotland) Ltd as the contractor for the M80 project.
The work is expected to take more than two years and the contract includes road maintenance for 30 years.
Transport Scotland, the country's roads agency, said the project would create more than 500 construction jobs.
Mr Stevenson said: "An efficient transport system is essential for enhancing productivity and delivering faster, more sustainable growth.
"The A80 is an essential part of the trunk road network in central Scotland and one of the most heavily used."
Up to 74,000 vehicles a day use the road, according to figures from Transport Scotland.
The scheme will see three major construction projects. They are: lAlmost five miles of dual two-lane motorway and hard shoulders between Stepps and Mollinsburn.
l1.6 miles of road upgraded to dual three-lane motorway between Mollinsburn and Auchenkilns.
lAlmost 4.5 miles of the A80 upgraded to dual two-lane motorway between Auchenkilns and Haggs, with hard shoulders and climbing lanes.
Construction will begin immediately, although preparatory works have been under way along the route. This has seen hundreds of trees felled, sparking anger among residents in Cumbernauld, Westfield and Condorrat.
It is expected the motorway will be fully opened in 2011.
The Highway Management (Scotland) Ltd consortium comprises three firms - Bilfinger Berger UK Ltd, John Graham (Dromore) Ltd and Northstone (NI) Ltd.
A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said the agency was going ahead with the largest transport investment programme Scotland had ever seen.
She said recent investment in road and rail projects had supported nearly 13,000 jobs and more than £2.5billion would be invested over the next three years.
Among the other schemes in progress are the £700m M74 extension in Glasgow.
