Key Points
- Glasgow drivers face several major motorway disruptions in May, with works affecting the M8, M74, M80 and nearby trunk roads.
- The westbound Waterloo Street on-slip at M8 Junction 19 will close 24/7 from Sunday, May 24 until Tuesday, June 9 for bridge investigation and maintenance work.
- Preparatory overnight closures are planned on the A804 southbound between Argyle Street and Anderston Quay from May 18 to May 23.
- The A82 Great Western Road at the M8 Woodside viaduct slip roads will be under refurbishment works from April 17 to July 1, with a 24-hour contraflow already in place.
- Two weekends of contraflow are planned on the M8 between Junctions 3A and 4A from May 8 to May 11 and May 15 to May 18, with a 40mph limit and slip road closures at Junction 4.
- M80 Junctions 2 and 1 are subject to essential gantry upgrades from April 19 to May 15, with overnight lane closures between 8pm and 6am.
Glasgow (Glasgow Express) May 2, 2026
What closures are happening?
Glasgow and surrounding drivers are being warned to expect a busy month of roadworks as a series of trunk road projects overlap across the city’s motorway network. Traffic Scotland lists multiple planned works across the M8, while SW Trunk Roads and BEAR Scotland provide detailed notices for the M8 and M80 schemes affecting daily and overnight travel.
As reported by Traffic Scotland, the biggest impact in Glasgow city centre will come from the M8 Junction 19 Waterloo Street on-slip closure, which begins on Sunday, May 24 and remains in place around the clock until Tuesday, June 9. The same notice says traffic will be diverted through the city centre via West Campbell Street and St Vincent Street before rejoining the motorway at Anderston.
Traffic Scotland also confirms preparatory overnight closures on the A804 southbound between Argyle Street and Anderston Quay from May 18 to May 23, which are being put in place ahead of the M8 works. For drivers who use the western side of the city, SW Trunk Roads says refurbishment of the A82 Great Western Road at the M8 Woodside viaduct slip roads runs from April 17 to July 1. That project includes a 24-hour contraflow already in place, with westbound traffic diverted off at Junction 16 Dobbie’s Loan and back on at Junction 17.
Why is the M8 being affected?
According to SW Trunk Roads, the M8 Woodside viaduct works are part of a refurbishment scheme, and Traffic Scotland describes the Kingston Bridge work as investigation and maintenance. The official notices do not suggest emergency closures; instead, they point to planned engineering work needed to keep bridges, gantries and viaducts in service.
The M8 also faces two weekends of disruption between Junctions 3A and 4A, where bridge works will require a contraflow and a 40mph speed limit from Friday, May 8 to Monday, May 11, and again from Friday, May 15 to Monday, May 18. Traffic Scotland says slip road closures at Junction 4 are also scheduled during both weekends, and a back-up weekend of June 5 to June 8 is available if bad weather intervenes.
What does the M80 notice say?
Traffic Scotland lists “M80 Junctions 2 and 1 | Essential Gantry Upgrades” as a scheduled project running from April 19 to May 15. The project notice indicates overnight lane closures on both the northbound and southbound carriageways between 8pm and 6am.
BEAR Scotland’s wider roadworks updates show that the M80 is part of a much broader set of trunk road maintenance activities taking place across Scotland in spring 2026. In that context, the gantry work forms part of routine network maintenance rather than a single isolated disruption.
How should drivers plan?
Motorists using Glasgow’s motorway network in May are likely to encounter delays on the M8 near Kingston Bridge, around the Woodside viaduct and on the M8 east-west corridor, particularly during overnight and weekend periods. The M80 gantry work adds another layer of disruption for commuters, freight traffic and drivers heading in and out of the city.
Drivers are being advised by the notices to follow signed diversions, allow extra journey time and expect tighter lane arrangements where contraflows are in place. HGV traffic in particular may be affected by narrowed lanes and route changes on the A82 Great Western Road and surrounding approaches.
What is the full scale of the disruption?
The official traffic notices show that these works are not limited to one road or one weekend, but are part of a rolling programme across Glasgow’s key routes through May and into early summer. The M8 Kingston Bridge works last until June 9, the Woodside viaduct project runs until July 1, and the M8 Junctions 3A to 4A bridge works continue across two May weekends with a possible June fallback slot.
The M80 works also sit alongside other planned traffic management across Scotland, including lane closures, contraflows and overnight restrictions on several major roads. For Glasgow-bound traffic, the practical effect is a higher chance of slower journeys, route diversions and more congestion at peak times.
Background of the development
This wave of closures is part of the normal maintenance and improvement cycle for Scotland’s trunk road network, which is managed through scheduled engineering work and traffic-management notices. Traffic Scotland says it publishes future updates so road users can plan ahead, while SW Trunk Roads and BEAR Scotland provide scheme-specific notices for bridge, gantry, resurfacing and refurbishment work.
The Glasgow area is especially sensitive to disruption because the M8 carries heavy commuter and regional traffic through the city centre, while the M74 and M80 connect key routes into and out of the west of Scotland. As a result, even short-term closures can have wider knock-on effects across local roads, public transport journeys and freight movements.
Prediction
For regular commuters, these closures are likely to mean slower morning and evening journeys, especially during the two M8 bridge-work weekends and the Kingston Bridge closure period. Businesses that depend on road deliveries may also need to build in extra travel time, particularly if vehicles need to use diverted routes through the city centre.
For drivers passing through Glasgow rather than travelling locally, the May works are likely to encourage route changes onto alternative trunk roads or off-peak travel where possible. In practice, the biggest impact will probably be felt by people who use the M8 every day, because the closures overlap with other planned restrictions across the same corridor.
