Kingston Bridge

River Clyde and Kingston Bridge, Glasgow
©2011 Gazetteer for Scotland

Built between 1967 and 1970 at a cost of £11 million, the ten-lane Kingston Bridge links the eastern and western sections of the M8 motorway, crossing the River Clyde in the centre of the city of Glasgow. Opened by HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in June 1970, and at 268m (879 feet) in length, it was at the time the longest pre-stressed concrete bridge in Scotland. The structure actually comprises two linked bridges - one carrying northbound traffic, the other southbound - each 21m (68 feet) wide. The engineers were W.A. Fairhurst & Partners and the contractors Logan-Marples Ridgeway.

With vehicle crossings having risen from 31,000 per day when it opened to 155,000 in 2003, the bridge is recorded as being one of the busiest sections of road in Europe and has had to undergo strengthening and considerable maintenance work to ensure that this vital route stays open. A recent project to improve its load-carrying capacity involved jacking the bridge up and moving
the entire 52,000 tonne structure 50mm (2 inches) to the south.

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