It was intended that by completing a full scale study the congestion issue could be resolved once and for all.Thomas Telfords' A74 had acted as the primary route from central Scotland to England for over a century. Additional post-tensioning. The vast majority of the urban stretch which cut through the centres of Larkhall, Hamilton, Bothwell and Uddingston remained as a single carriageway of varying widths, and was completely inadequate for the volume and type of traffic using it.

The two-volume report considered all forms of transportation and made extensive highway proposals for the Glasgow area, including motorways from Paisley to Cumbernauld and several expressways.

The publication of the First Planning Report and the Clyde Valley Plan immediately after the war put in place the foundations for a network, most of which, was designed and constructed during the 1960s and 70s. Shortly after the traffic survey was completed, Babtie Shaw and Morton were appointed as the project designers and construction got underway in 1963. Lanark County Council acted as Engineer for the works on the first contract to be built entirely within their boundary (the West of Harthill to Newhouse section) which was essentially an on-line upgrade of the 1930s built Kirk O'Shotts Bypass. The Glasgow Motorway History Archive is a non-profit, independent organisation dedicated to the collection and preservation of records associated with the history and construction of the motorways and expressways of Glasgow. It is clear that the County Surveyor was much more enthusiastic. "A Highway Plan for Glasgow" was published in 1965 by Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Partners on behalf of the Corporation of the City of Glasgow.

To provide a summary of these key dates, we have created this timeline page. Bruce’s recommendations were largely rejected, although his highways proposals were accepted by the Corporation. Loved and loathed in equal measure, the routes have a history spanning six decades.

The Bruce Report proposals of 1945 were adopted for the Glasgow Corporation area and includes a motorway on the route of the disused Monkland Canal. The sensors provided frequent, detailed data every fifteen seconds.

A volunteer association, it preserves records associated with the history & construction of the city's post war roads system.Glasgow has more miles of urban motorway than any other UK city, and its motorways are a significant part of the city's post war engineering heritage.Explore the archive and the history of Glasgow's infrastructure by clicking the subject headers below. The findings & recommendations were based on detailed traffic studies which were undertaken throughout 1961. Connection to the The bridge quickly became a popular way of crossing the River Clyde. There is also an article covering the development of the Glasgow Inner Ring Road. Entitled the “Strathclyde Region Structure Plan" (SPRAG) the plan, when published in January 1982, was the first to promote a motorway in the corridor eventually adopted by the M74 to the north of Maryville.In the year 2000 a new study, the “Central Scotland Corridor Study” (CSCS) was commissioned to consider the need for motorway upgrades to the A80 from Stepps to Haggs, the A8 from Baillieston to Newhouse and other changes required in response to the completion of the M74. The city lacked any substantial radial or arterial routes that could be used to redirect traffic away from the city centre - indeed, the five major routes from Glasgow to other parts of the country (the A74, A77, A8, A80 and A82) all converged in the vicinity of the central area.