The Scottish Roadscast

16 lanes, four carriageways, three motorways – and 50 years of Glasgow motorway history!

In this special anniversary episode of the Scottish Roadscast, Stuart Baird and Duncan MacKnight celebrate 50 years of the M8 Renfrew Motorway, which officially opened on 15 October 1976.

Stretching from the Kingston Bridge to Hillington, this remarkable section of motorway completed a vital missing link in Glasgow's road network and became one of the city's most impressive engineering achievements.

But its construction was far from straightforward!

Discover how the 1973 oil crisis almost brought the project to a halt, why an unexpected £11 million funding windfall transformed the plans, and how engineers managed to squeeze an extraordinary 16 lanes of motorway into the Plantation Interchange.

Along the way, Stuart and Duncan explore forgotten motorway proposals, unusual junctions, hidden engineering features and the remarkable efforts made to fit this enormous road into Glasgow's urban landscape.

From ambitious 1960s planning to the challenges of modern-day traffic, it's a fascinating look at the people, decisions and engineering that shaped one of Scotland's busiest motorway corridors.

Plus: Historic archive discoveries, memories of the motorway's grand opening, and a few mysteries that we'd love our listeners to help solve!

Whether you're passionate about roads and engineering, interested in Glasgow's history, or simply curious about the motorway you've driven along countless times, join us for another journey into Scotland's transport past.

Explore the Scottish Roads Archive:

Scottish Roadscast – Exploring the history of Scotland's roads, bridges and motorways.

The Pass of Killiecrankie presented one of the most demanding challenges in the enormous reconstruction of Scotland’s A9 between Perth and Inverness. With the road, railway and River Garry all squeezed into a steep-sided Highland gorge, creating a modern high-standard road through the pass required some extraordinary engineering.

In this episode, we explore the story of the A9 at Killiecrankie and the construction of the Killiecrankie Viaduct — a remarkable piece of road engineering that carries the A9 through the pass.

The Killiecrankie section was the final part of the 130-mile Perth-to-Inverness A9 reconstruction to be completed, opening to traffic in 1986. The project involved difficult terrain, major structures and a series of engineering challenges, with a 615-metre section of dual carriageway ultimately carried on the viaduct.

We look at the history behind this important section of the A9, the challenges faced by those designing and constructing it, and why Killiecrankie remains such a fascinating chapter in the story of Scottish road engineering.

Whether you have an interest in Scottish roads, transport history, civil engineering, bridges, road construction or the history of the A9, this episode offers a fascinating journey back to one of Scotland’s major twentieth-century infrastructure projects.

🎧 Listen now and discover the story behind one of the most distinctive sections of the A9.

With Duncan Macknight, Stuart Baird and Darren Donaldson.

#A9 #Killiecrankie #KilliecrankieViaduct #ScottishRoads #RoadEngineering #CivilEngineering #TransportHistory #ScottishHistory #RoadConstruction #HighlandHistory

Get ready for a special episode of the Scottish Roadscast as Stuart and Duncan celebrate an incredible sixty years of the Tay Road Bridge! To mark this landmark anniversary, they’ve headed along the Tay to Dundee to chat with Bridge Manager Alan Hutchison. Join us for a fascinating deep dive into the history, legacy, and lasting appeal of this much-loved east coast icon.

With Stuart Baird and Duncan Macknight.

Released August 2026.

In this episode of the Scottish Roadscast John and Stuart consider the history behind the A725, a strategic trunk road that links Coatbridge and East Kilbride via the M8 and M74. The route was built in several discrete stages from the 1950s to the 1990s. 

Our "From the Archive" feature will return later this year.

With Stuart Baird and John Hassall. Released July 2026.

In this episode of the Scottish Roadscast John and Stuart consider the history behind the A71, the cross country route between Edinburgh and Irvine. The route has many varied sections and some very interesting features which are covered in the usual detail. Much of the information presented in this episode has only recently been unearthed!

Our "From the Archive" feature will return later this year.

With Stuart Baird and John Hassall. Released June 2026.

In this episode of the Scottish Roadscast Duncan gives an update on the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness. Is progress finally being made towards the completion of this impressive and much needed project? He also considers why the existing road wasn't dualled from the outset.

Our "From the Archive" feature takes a look at a document from the early 2000s that considered previous updates to the route. A fascinating insight of considerations 25 years ago and well worth a read. You'll find it at https://www.scottishroadsarchive.org/roadscast as usual.

With Duncan Macknight and Stuart Baird. Released May 2026.

In this episode of the Scottish Roadscast Stuart and Duncan consider the history behind the A80, once the main route between Glasgow and Stirling. Most of the route was upgraded to dual carriageway in the 1950s and 60s transforming road travel between the two cities. Much of the information presented in this episode has only recently been unearthed!

Our "From the Archive" feature takes a look at a 1990s consultation document which details option for the upgrade of the route to motorway. You can view the document here: https://www.scottishroadsarchive.org/roadscast 

With Stuart Baird and Duncan Macknight. Released April 2026.

In this episode of the Scottish Roadscast, Stuart and Duncan welcome distinguished civil engineer Michael Martin OBE for a discussion on the history of the Kylesku Bridge. Renowned as one of Scotland’s most iconic landmarks, Kylesku stands as a striking feature along the famed North Coast 500 route, which draws thousands of visitors to the breathtaking scenery of the north west Highlands every year. Michael shares anecdotes from his extensive career, which included the construction of the Kessock Bridge and the Queensferry Crossing, offering unique insights and behind-the-scenes stories from these remarkable engineering achievements.

Our 'From the  Archive' booklet from this episode can be found at https://www.scottishroadsarchive.org/roadscast.

With Stuart Baird and Duncan Macknight. Released March 2026.

In this episode of the Scottish Roadscast, John and Stuart consider the history behind the A78 between Greenock and Prestwick. Over 40 miles long, it's one of Scotland's most varied routes. One minute you're driving by stunning coastline, the next you're on a three lane fast moving expressway. Our "From the Archive" feature takes a look at the A78 Three Towns Bypass booklet from 2004!

With John Hassall and Stuart Baird. Released February 2026.

In this episode, John and Stuart give an overview of the vast number of new road projects being delivered at a local level across Scotland. Many have been in development for years whilst others are completely new. Listen in to learn more! Our "From the Archive" feature this month includes a recently donated item from the A75!

With John Hassall and Stuart Baird. Released January 2026.