THE Erskine Bridge turns 50 years old today, celebrating half a century of allowing workers and tourists easy access over the Clyde.
One of the finest examples of civil engineering in Scotland, it was the longest bridge of its kind in the world, on its opening on this day in 1971.
Built to replace the Erskine Ferry and link the communities and industries of Renfrewshire and Dunbartonshire, it was officially opened by Princess Anne at a summer ribbon cutting ceremony.
Towering over Erskine on the southern side and Old Kilpatrick to the north, around 35,000 vehicles are thought to pass over it every day.
A toll bridge until 2006, the crossing is now free to use for its thousands of daily users.
Constructed from a series of linked box girders and supported by two 125ft pylons, which attach to the boxes with cables, the bridge spans a total length of 4,336.8 ft.
The Glasgow Motorway Archive is celebrating the bridge’s half-century birthday by releasing a number of previously unseen photographs of the famous crossing.
Stuart Baird from the Glasgow Motorway Archive said: “The Erskine Bridge remains ones of the most ambitious civil engineering projects ever undertaken in Scotland and has become a much-loved landmark.
“The Glasgow Motorway Archive is delighted to have unearthed previously unseen photos of its construction in time for its 50th anniversary and we look forward to sharing them, and a few other surprises, on our website and social media channels.”
The Scottish Government’s Minster for Transport, Graeme Dey, said: “The Erskine Bridge has become an iconic landmark and was, at one point, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
“The crossing helped to significantly cut journey times when it opened to traffic, particularly during the busy tourist seasons. It continues to play an important role, carrying over 35,000 vehicles every day.
“The Erskine Bridge has also been listed for unique architectural and technical features, so it’s important to recognise the impact it has made in the past 50 years.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here