Across the road from the GZ is a pillar which marks route of the original road from Glasgow to Stirling and Falkirk via Chrystion. The road was in use until the 1790s.
Until the 1800s, farming was the main activity in this area. The completion of the Monkland Canal in 1790 followed by the opening of the turnpike 10 years later was a sign of the ongoing industrialisation. The canal was used to transport coal from the Monkland Collieries until the Garnkirk & Glasgow Railway opened in 1831.
The canal fell into disuse by the 1930s and was filled in to provide the foundation for the M8 motorway . The M80 Stepps bypass, running between Glasgow and Stirling via Cumbernauld and Denny and linking the M8, M73 and M9 motorways was completed in 2011, the motorway is 25 miles (40 km) long. Despite being only a two lane motorway, parts of the M80 Stepps Bypass are used by around 60,000 vehicles per day.