Scotland TranServ’s dedicated team has been busy crunching a popular crisp brand ahead of a planned new programme of gantry improvements for the M8.

Over the next couple of months, the Bridges team, on behalf of Transport Scotland, will install a number of new inspection and maintenance zones adjacent to the M8 gantries between Junctions 10 and 12.

The area is also home to populations of rare fossorial water voles that have made the verges of Scotland’s busiest motorway their home.

Stephen Batchen, Scotland TranServ’s Senior Bridges Engineer said:

“This area of the M8 is home to these rare water voles, and staff across the business have been busy popping tubes of a popular snack to provide dozens of these handy transportation units. In order to protect the creatures, we intend trapping them and carrying them to new holding pens, while works are carried out.

“We’ve been working with colleagues in our Environment and Sustainability team, Transport Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage to carefully plan these works. In order to complete the project as quickly and safely as possible, works are programmed to be carried out at night under lane and hardshoulder closures.”

A population of this type is highly unusual in the UK and it wasn’t until recently that water voles were recorded along the M8 corridor.

Scotland TranServ Ecologist, Rachel Kennedy carried out a study into the water voles and the impact of routine maintenance activities on such roadside populations. Rachel added:

“This section of the M8 was constructed around 50 years ago on what was the site of the former Monklands Canal. It’s likely that these water voles were displaced during the construction activities, and their descendants are now thriving in these relatively untouched verges, with the thrum of over 100,000 vehicles passing each day.

“It was important for Scotland TranServ to identify the potential impact of our landscape maintenance activities on these populations, and to work with authorities such as Transport Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage to better shape future environmental licencing requirements.

“We’ve been delighted by the response from the wider Scotland TranServ team in providing these adhoc transportation devices in support of this project. We have dozens of crisp tubes now, of every variety and flavour, with more and more stacking up every day. It’s essential that we preserve these populations.”

Transport Scotland is working with Scotland TranServ and other operating companies to identify the needs of the rare species that are thriving in these relatively untouched habitat corridors.

Angus Corby, Transport Scotland’s Landscape Advisor concluded:

“We have a rich variety of wildlife living alongside Scotland’s trunk roads and we want to ensure we allow all our native animals and plant life to continue to thrive.

“Transport Scotland is pleased to help support Scotland TranServ bring forward these bespoke plans which protect the water voles, but also allow them to carry out their duties around management and maintenance of the M8 motorway.”

The pre-construction environmental activities have already started on the M8 at Junction 10-12 ahead of the inspection and maintenance zone project which will begin on Sunday 17^th of March. Once these preliminary works are completed Scotland TranServ will implement progressive hard shoulder closures, with overnight lane closures from 10pm to 5am each day for the works to be undertaken. Works are currently scheduled for completion by the end of April.