City motorway could be covered
Rooftop garden plan for M8 in Glasgow
M8 Charing Cross, brutal and divisive
A rooftop garden over the M8 at Charing Cross could become part of the biggest makeover of Glasgow city centre in a generation.
Councillors are considering various options for improving street life, particularly in the area to the west of the centre around Charing Cross, Sauchiehall Street and the Garnethill district.
They are looking at 80 projects include a covered section of the M8 which would incorporate a public park around the A-listed Mitchell Library and neighbouring streets.
Fifty years after the road cut a swathe through some historic and much-cherished neighbourhoods, there is now an acknowledgement that it has divided the city and created noise and pollution.
The Grand Hotel was demolished to make way for the M8
Covering it would bring the Library and the surrounding area back into the city and make it more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists.
Other cities, including New York and Marbella, have turned disused highways and rail lines into public spaces, including gardens,walkways and cyclepaths.
In Glasgow the suggestions being considered include tree-lined sections of Sauchiehall Street, dedicated cycle paths on Bath Street and Sauchiehall Street, the upgrading of Garnethill Park and the redevelopment of Renfrew Street as an Avenue for the Arts.
