DRIVERS are being warned to brace themselves for travel disruption this weekend as resurfacing work takes place on the M8 motorway.

The work will be carried out on a 570-metre stretch of the eastbound carriageway at Junction 29, from Arkleston to the Hillington footbridge, from 8pm on Friday until 6am on Monday.

A total of £150,000 is being spent to tackle “surface defects and structural cracking”, with Scotland TranServ taking charge of the project on behalf of Transport Scotland.

Organisers have said the eastbound carriageway will be restricted to two lanes during the day, with just one lane in operation at night.

Alan Murray, Scotland TranServ’s principal roads design engineer, added: “This is a very busy stretch of motorway, with more than 100,000 vehicles using the M8 every weekday.

“Work will be carried out overnight but, because of the depth of the resurfacing project, it will be necessary to leave the newly-laid road for a longer period to cool and harden.

“This will mean lane restrictions being implemented during the day too.

“Working in liaison with Police Scotland, local authorities and key stakeholders, we have scheduled this project to be delivered with minimal disruption.

“The works will address issues with surface defects and structural cracking along a 570-metre length of the eastbound carriageway.

"A number of similar schemes are currently being planned to improve the surface of Scotland’s busiest motorway in this area.”

In a bid to keep traffic moving, Scotland TranServ will implement hard-shoulder running and a reduced speed limit during the day on Saturday and Sunday.

The motorway will operate with only the hard-shoulder running at night.

Westbound motorway lanes will be unaffected.

As part of Transport Scotland’s trunk road maintenance programme, Scotland TranServ is delivering a number of projects aimed at improving the region’s trunk road infrastructure and supporting the economic growth and development of local communities.

Andy Fraser, of Scotland TranServ, said: “It is a constant challenge to balance the need to maintain Scotland’s busiest road while reducing the impact of our works on motorists.

"Our aim, as always, is to deliver these long-term benefits to commuters, businesses and tourists alike with maximum efficiency and minimal disruption throughout.”

Live traffic information is available online at https://trafficscotland.org/currentincidents/