Under blue skies, watched by local dignitaries, politicians and some of the many people who were involved in the construction of the five-mile stretch of motorway, the Duke of Gloucester declared the road officially open yesterday.
Costing £692 million - the equivalent of £2,000 an inch - the road has taken three years to construct.
The six-lane route extends the existing M74 through the south side of the city to join the M8 west of the Kingston Bridge over the Clyde.
Described as the "missing link" in Glasgow's transport network, the extension was originally included in the 1965 Highway Plan for the city.
Both the Scottish Government and Glasgow council say it will relieve traffic jams that have snarled up the M8 and its surrounding roads during peak periods for years.
They also claim that the extension will have major economic benefits, bringing thousands of jobs to the east end of Glasgow.
While the Scottish Government insists that the £445m construction contract was completed early and under budget after it was put out for tender in 2008, the overall cost of the project has shot up from its original 2001 estimate of £245m, and was finished three years later than originally planned a decade ago.
After the road was blessed by the minister of Glasgow Cathedral, the Rev Laurence Whitley, the duke unveiled a plaque marking the opening before being taken along the route by bus.
• Craig Brown: Life in the fast lane is one smooth ride
"I'm old enough to remember what roads were like before motorways," he said. "Main roads took you through every town and city with inevitable delays and traffic lights. Since their introduction, it seems extraordinary that we could have survived without them.
"People have described this as the missing link, so clearly you have been aware of this gap in your road system."
It was after 7:30pm, however, before cars were allowed to use the road properly, as officials carried out final safety checks.
Among those watching the opening of the extension was Neil McDougall, 68, from Motherwell, who worked on both the original M74 route as a plant operator and the new road, as an earthworks manager.
"Glasgow was calling out for this road to be here many years ago and it will help.
"But if it had been done 20 years ago, the relief it would have brought to the city would have been amazing in comparison to what you're going to get now," he said.
Scotland's infrastructure secretary, Alex Neil, said that the route's greatest benefit would come in the 20,000 jobs he believed it would bring to the area, adding that it would create an "economic revolution" for that part of Glasgow.
Article Source KBG Test Blog (http://rc.kbg.me)
