Erskine Bridge

United Kingdom / Scotland / Old Kilpatrick /
 cable-stayed bridge  Add category
Connecting the M8 to the A82, the Erskine Bridge serves as a major arterial route across the Clyde. Opened in 1971, it carries approximately 26,000 vehicles per day.

The Erskine Bridge crosses the River Clyde near the villages of Erskine to the south and Old Kilpatrick to the north, linking Renfrewshire to Dunbartonshire. It connects the M898 on the south to the A82 (Great Western Road) on the north. Built between 1967 and 1971 by Freeman Fox, it was opened by HRH The Princess Royal on 2nd July, 1971, and today bears approximately 7,000 crossings per day, a figure which has held steady since the late 1980s.This box girder bridge with cable stays is 524m (1720 feet) in length, not including the two approach spans of 68m (224 feet) each. The masts of the main span are 38m (125 feet) high, while the steelwork weighs some 11,000 tons and runs over 1310m (4300 feet).

On 4th of August 1996 an oil platform struck the bridge while being towed alon the River Clyde. It became stuck causing some serious damage to the Bridge. The error occurred due to a miscalculation of the platform’s height. For a number of months the bridge was closed to traffic, or restricted from use by heavy vehicles. It opened to traffic again in mid-December 1996.

Erskine Ferry operated just upstream from the current Erskine Bridge, linking Renfrewshire with Old Kilpatrick and Dunbartonshire. The ferry service ceased when the Erskine Bridge opened.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erskine_Bridge
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Coordinates:   55°55'11"N   4°27'42"W

Comments

  • It isn't a toll bridge. The tolls got took down in 2006.
This article was last modified 8 months ago