What is the Motorway Archive? Work on developing the UK Motorway system, which transformed British travel, started in the mid-1950s. The Motorway Archive celebrates the engineering achievement involved in the conception, planning, design and construction of this transport network by thousands of dedicated professionals. The Archive itself is a collection of as many of the documents and artefacts, which were associated with the development, as it has been possible to find. From this wealth of material has come the story of each motorway developed in Britain over the last 50 years. This is the story of one of them.

Region: Scotland

M73. Maryville to Mollinsburn

This 6 mile section of motorway provides an eastern by-pass of Glasgow. It joins the A8/M8 Glasgow motorway at the Baillieston interchange. This extensive four-level structure incorporates two interchanges and provides links between the M73 and M8 (Monkland motorway), the M73 and A8 and the M8 and A89. The whole interchange covers some 55 hectares and includes 21 concrete bridges. It was officially opened in April 1972 by the Rt. Hon. George Younger. Contract details

Section	Engineer	Contractor
Maryville – West of Mollinsburn	Babtie Shaw & Morton	Balfour Beatty