The SNP’s transport convenor on Glasgow City Council has defended the controversial proposal to tear down the Woodside Viaducts, which carry 150,000 vehicles a day, as reported in Highways News last week.

The M8 motorway flyover to the north of the city centre has been under constant repair since 2021, after inspections found the crumbling concrete bridge supports were in a far worse state than previously thought, says the Scottish Daily Express.

Now the SNP-run local authority has backed a proposal for it to be demolished, with long-distance motorway traffic rerouted onto the M73 and M74 and new surface-level roads built for local users.

Angus Millar told STV News:

“It offers a huge opportunity for regeneration, reducing the impact of the motorway on city centre communities while also saving public money.”

Cllr Millar said the “M8 tore through” central Glasgow in the 1960s and caused “devastation”, adding that replacing the viaduct “could help restitch the city, open up land and possibilities for new housing, regeneration and green space”.

He continued:

“Whether we replicate those solutions or take the opportunity to do something different and correct the mistakes of the past, we’re asking the question now: what should that corridor look like for the coming 40, 50, 60 years?”

The repair project has been complex, partly due to the fact the viaduct sits above Glasgow’s Subway tunnels. Over £150million has been spent on temporary propping, with replacement estimated at £500m and removal at £125m.

Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Craig Hoy said:

“After years of brutal roadworks, this decision would be a hammer blow to Glaswegians and hard-pressed motorists. The SNP pledged to complete this upgrade by 2023, but … costs have spiralled and now this ageing stretch of road may be permanently closed.

“Commuters are sick of hellish traffic jams and delays. SNP ministers must get their act together and ensure that motorists have a road they can actually use.”

(Picture: Transport Scotland)