Construction work on the M74 was started in 1964, and the final section opened in 2011. Initially, the M74 terminated at Elvanfoot on the A74 which was an al-purpose dual carriageway to the Scottish Border. During the 1990s, an intense period of construction upgraded this to full motorway standards, becoming the A74(M). The final section of the M74, from its northern extremity at Fullarton Road to the M8 south of Kingston bridge, was opened in 2011. In all, the 37 miles of the M74 and the 49 miles of A74(M) took some 45 years to complete. The final M6 connection on the English side of the border was opened in 2008, exactly 50 years after the first section of M6 was opened.