BlogDid you know the Erskine Bridge celebrated it’s 50th birthday in July?
The iconic crossing over the Clyde opened on the 2 July 1971, becoming the first fixed link between West Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire. The cable-stayed steel box girder bridge was designed by Freeman Fox and Partners.
Discussions on the need for a bridge began in the 1930s, though it was the early 1960s before significant progress was made. As proposals for the network of motorways and dual carriageways in Central and West Scotland matured, it became clear that a bridge at this location would be an important piece of the jigsaw.
It was an ambitious and technically challenging project. The completion led to significant reductions in journey times, particularly during the busy tourist season when traffic reaches its peak.
Today, the bridge carries over 35,000 vehicles every day. A notably slender design adds to the unique and recognisable appearance of what was not just the first large-scale cable stayed bridge in Scotland but, for a time, the bridge with the longest cable-stayed span in the world. The project cost £10.5 million, the equivalent of almost £150 million today.
The Erskine Bridge was also awarded Category A status by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) in November 2018.
Take a closer at this amazing structure with the video above!
