Scotland's busiest road will be closed overnight as work is carried out to install a new active travel bridge in Glasgow.

The cyclist and pedestrian bridge connecting Sighthill to the city centre is part of the biggest active travel project in the UK and a wider £250million regeneration project in the area.

The main span of the 1000-tonne bridge will be installed overnight on July 31. 

In order for the complex installation work to be carried out, a section of  the M8 will close in both directions for 14-hours, from 9pm to 11am.

The bridge will form part of a wider active travel network connecting Sighthill, the city centre and neighbouring communities in North Glasgow.

The Herald:

The installation work is being carried out by BAM Nuttall of behalf of Glasgow City Council, which said the impact on traffic was being "kept to as little a scale as possible".

The M8 was closed in the summer of 2020 to facilitate the demolition of the old footbridge, and over the past year the new bridge has been fabricated alongside the westbound carriageway of the M8.

Work has also begun on the steps, ramps and concourse that form the approaches to the new structure.

The Herald:

During preparation shifts leading up to July 31, lighting masts and barriers will be removed.  The bridge will be bolted to a specialist trailer, known as an SPMT, which will be used for transporting the 1000-Tonne structure. 

The SPMT will then drive the bridge along the M8 and hydraulic jacks will be used to lift the bridge into place.

Engineers say this the most complex part of the operation, as the bridge must meet exact specifications to ensure the structure acts as designed.

The bridge is expected to open in the early months of 2022.