First stage of £127m Ravenscraig access project to be considered

North Lanarkshire Council is to consider plans for new roads and improvements to open up access to the new Ravenscraig regeneration site.The proposals form part of the £127.2 million Ravenscraig Access Infrastructure project, which will seek to provide new and improved transport infrastructure to connect Ravenscraig north to the M8 and south to Motherwell and M74.The four elements of the project will see a new dual carriageway from the Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility to Motherwell crossing the west coast main line railway; a new roundabout with traffic signals at Airbles Road and Windmillhill Street; completion of the dualling of Airbles Road; and the dualling of the A723 from Ravenscraig to the M8.If agreed upon by the committee, the Ravenscraig Access Infrastructure plans will be presented to the Glasgow City Region City Deal Cabinet in October for approval. The council said that the next stage would be submission of a planning application for the southern connections to Motherwell and the M8, which will include a public consultation.The cost of the council’s Ravenscraig Access Infrastructure project is £127.2 million, including £71.2 million for the connection to Motherwell and the M74 and £56 million for dualling the existing A723 from Ravenscraig to the M8 at Newhouse.The cost of the project is supported by the Glasgow City Region City Deal, with it providing £61.9 million – with £65.3 million being provided from the council over six years, from 2020 to 2026.