North Lanarkshire Council leader Jim Logue met the Scottish and UK governments and other councils to mark 10 years of the Glasgow City Region City Deal.
Signed in 2014, the deal provides £500 million each from the UK and Scottish governments for a range of infrastructure, employability and innovation projects with the eight local councils contributing a further £130 million.
In the past decade, North Lanarkshire has benefited significantly from City Deal investment, contributing to the delivery of key projects including the creation of MediCity beside the M8, construction of the Glenboig Link Road and the new transport hub at Motherwell Station.
It’s also supporting construction of the East Airdrie Link Road, access work to regenerate the Ravenscraig site, and improving active travel links between communities and employment areas along the M8.
In total, more than £149.8 million of City Deal funding will be invested in North Lanarkshire.
Council leader Jim Logue said: “Glasgow City Region Deal has helped councils invest in roads and infrastructure, attract new business and industry, improve connectivity and regenerate public space and communities.
“Here in North Lanarkshire, we’re using the investment to best effect, creating jobs, improving transport links and connecting communities. All of this is boosting the local economy, which benefits everyone now and into the future.”
MediCity is a state-of-the-art life science incubator building and business collective, established to support the growth of existing and new Medtech, digital health, healthcare and wellness companies in Scotland.
The Glenboig Link Road enables drivers to access junction 2A of the M73 directly from Glenboig and is helping to encourage construction of much-needed new homes and facilities in the Gartcosh and Glenboig area.
It also supports economic development at Gartcosh Business Park.
A partnership between ScotRail, the council, SPT and Transport Scotland carried out a major redevelopment of Motherwell rail station and created a town centre transport interchange.
Active travel links are now being developed to connect the station and surrounding communities to leisure facilities, employment and training opportunities at Strathclyde Country Park, Braidhurst Industrial Estate, Ravenscraig and local services in Motherwell.
The East Airdrie Link Road will provide a new strategic link between the M8 and south Cumbernauld, and access to the new Monklands Hospital at Wester Moffat.
The route has been agreed and design work is progressing to allow consultation on the road alignment. It is part of the wider Pan Lanarkshire orbital transport corridor linking the M74 in the south with M80 in the north, taking in the former Ravenscraig steelworks site.
This includes a new road between Motherwell and Ravenscraig, passing under the West Coast Main Line railway, and on to the Regional Sports Facility.
This will be followed by improvements to Airbles Road and improving facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
City Deal funding will support a new roundabout junction at Orchard Farm on the A8 All Purpose Distributor Road which will support development of the Mossend International Rail Freight Park and improve access to development sites north of the A8/M8.
Strategic Active Travel Links will be built, connecting Eurocentral, Maxim Office Park, Newhouse and Mossend to surrounding communities and local rail stations.
These routes will link with other planned active travel route improvements as part of the East Airdrie Link Road and other roads projects.
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