19 June 2012 Last updated at 09:17 ET

A74(M)/M74 roadway set for upgrade

More than 30,000 vehicles a day use the road from the Scotland-England border to the central belt

The main road from the Scotland-England border to the central belt is to get a £40m upgrade.

Work is to be carried out on the A74(M)/M74 over the next five years, with improvements being made to the carriageway, which is more than 20 years old in places.

More than 30,000 vehicles a day use the motorway.

The section of the road between junction 22 Gretna and junction 12 Millbank will be upgraded.

The work will be carried out by Autolink, which has a contract with the Scottish government's transport agency, Transport Scotland, for the road.

A spokesman for Transport Scotland and Autolink said: "This busy motorway carries over 30,000 vehicles a day and is the main route between the border and the central belt.

"This project is being delivered in several phases over the next five years and, on completion, will deliver over 80 miles of new road surface - equivalent to 200 football fields."

Work is due to commence at the end of June and the spokesman said: "We are working closely with local communities to ensure they are kept abreast of these works as they are delivered.

"Our aim is to minimise disruption but traffic management is essential for the safety of road workers and road users alike."