Scotland’s busiest motorway has undergone a major safety upgrade, carried out on time and budget, as permanent concrete road safety barriers were installed at Junction 3 on the M8 in Livingston.
The old system no longer met current standards and was replaced by leading manufacturer and supplier of vehicle restraint systems (VRS), Hardstaff Barriers, under an eight-week programme of works.
The company worked with Transport Scotland, BEAR Scotland and Highway Barrier Solutions (HBS) to install high containment barriers to protect the columns of bridges crossing over the motorway.
REBLOC RB140 and Maxibloc barriers were installed along the verges and on the central reserve to protect the bridges in the event of a collision.
Gerasimos Samoilis, principal engineer for BEAR Scotland’s South East Unit, said: 'The collaboration with Hardstaff has been excellent from inception to the completion of the project, at all levels.
'Hardstaff provided guidance to BEAR Scotland at the Preliminary Design stage, regarding their best product for the job. Thereafter, Hardstaff collaborated with BEAR’s designers at Detailed Design stage, providing all the necessary information.
'Also, Hardstaff assisted with their experience at the Construction Stages, minimising disruption for the road users.'
He added: 'Without the use of Hardstaff products at the specific site and location, it would require major works resulting in major delays and disruption. The speed of installation and the quality of the products were a big bonus.'
Sarah Compton, highways account manager at Hardstaff Barriers, said: 'We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to be a part of such an important project, which will ultimately make the road safer for all road users.
'It has been a pleasure working so closely with all of the highway professionals involved.'
The M8 is the busiest motorway in Scotland, connecting the country's two largest cities - Glasgow and Edinburgh.