Bernera Bridge

A bridge which connects the island of Great Bernera with the NW coast of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, the Bernera Bridge represents one of the earliest examples in Britain of a bridge constructed of pre-stressed concrete girders. Its opening, on the 22nd July 1953, attracted a crowd of thousands.

The demand for a bridge dates back to the First World War, when it was realised that a sustainable future for the island's population was dependent on the provision of a fixed link. Agreement was gained for its construction in the 1930s and a considerable fund-raising effort was undertaken, but the Second World War intervened. Thereafter permission was only renewed when local men threatened to dynamite the hillside in order to build a causeway and it was further agreed that the £70,000 cost of the new bridge would be shared between national and local government. The funds raised earlier were then used to upgrade the road to Bosta.

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