Drivers have been told to expect significant delays on one of Scotland's busiest motorways next month.

Motorists are advised to avoid the M74 for a weekend in November as works get under way to demolish the Bothwellpark Road Bridge in North Lanarkshire.

The motorway will be closed between Junction 4 Maryville and Junction 5 Raith in both directions from 8pm on Friday, November 18, to 6am on Monday, November 21.

The bridge, located to the north of M74 Junction 5 Raith, is the final structure to be demolished as part of this £500m infrastructure improvement project which is being delivered by Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP) on behalf of Transport Scotland.

Graeme Reid, Transport Scotland project manager, said: "This is the most significant road closure we have implemented as part of the works and we are anticipating major delays on all approaches, the surrounding roads and the main diversion route.

"We are advising road users to plan their journey, avoid the area and surrounding local roads and, if possible, to use alternative modes of transport for the weekend."

The weekend closure will result in no access from the M73 to the M74 southbound at Junction 4 Maryville or to the M74 northbound at Junction 5, Raith.

Signed diversion routes will be in place via the A725, A8 and the M73, although Transport Scotland is warning road users to expect major delays on all surrounding routes as a result of the M74 closure.

Mr Reid added: "On a typical weekend we can expect to see as many as 140,000 vehicles using this main arterial route, and we fully appreciate the disruption this will cause.

"Together with our contractor (SRP), we have been liaising with key stakeholders including the emergency services and local authorities to minimise the disruption and complete these works as quickly as possible.

"However, we need road users to play their part by avoiding the area where possible and using alternative modes of transport to keep traffic levels on the diversion route to an absolute minimum."

Gabriel Valtueña-Ramos, general manager of SRP, said: "We considered a range of options to undertake the demolition of the bridge and following extensive consultation with stakeholders, it was determined that the weekend closure was the most efficient solution in terms of reducing disruption to road users."