A major Glasgow road has reopened to traffic after a year-long closure.
Shields Road in the city’s Southside officially reopened on Friday, August 30 after undergoing a £12.6 million refurbishment programme.
The renewal of the road bridge was a joint investment between Network Rail and Glasgow City Council.
Over the past 12 months, Network Rail and its contractor worked to replace the bridge deck, located between St Andrew’s Drive and Scotland Street.
The bridge, which carries Shields Road over the city union railway line, had previously been subject to a weight restriction for 25 years however following the completion of the works that long-standing restriction has now been removed.
The city union railway line is used by freight trains and empty passenger trains travelling to and from depots. No passenger services were affected by the works.
Laura Craig, Network Rail’s project manager, said: “After 12 months of work, it’s wonderful to see Shields Road reopened to traffic.
“It’s been a big ask of drivers to use the diversion for so long and we really appreciate the patience of the local community whilst we’ve been doing this work.
“The bridge is now stronger, wider and better able to handle the size and volume of traffic that needs to travel over it.”
After the crossing closed in August 2023 engineers removed 1550 tonnes of material before preparing the existing structure to support a stronger and wider bridge deck over the railway.
Contractors then spent several months diverting 24 utility pipes and cables to a temporary structure, maintaining a link over the railway which was also used by those walking and wheeling.
The bridge deck was demolished over the Easter weekend and reinstalled in stages over the summer.
The first was preparatory piling work followed by 16 concrete support beams being craned into place.
After that Network Rail reinstalled utilities and prepared a new road surface.
The newly installed bridge has wider footpaths, higher and safer kerbs, and a dedicated two-way cycle lane connecting the Southside with the city centre.
Councillor Angus Millar, city convener for transport, said: “It’s great to see work is now finished and a rebuilt Shields Road bridge is ready for use.
“A vital link between the Southside and central Glasgow has been restored and this will be great boost for sustainable transport within the city.
“The Shields Road underground station and park and ride is easily accessible again from the southside and our South West City Way cycle route is back to full capacity across the bridge.
“The South West City Way provides safer, segregated cycling all the way to Glasgow’s largest green spaces at Pollok Country Park and connects with the growing network of active travel lanes across the city.”
As well as replacing the bridge deck an adjacent bridge over the railway line to Ayr was also strengthened.
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