New road bridge will be a ‘gamechanger’
The first opening road bridge across the River Clyde has been hailed as ‘a gamechanger’ by politicians visiting the site in Renfrewshire.
The new bridge is part of the £117 million Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside project being led by Renfrewshire Council and funded as part of the £1.13 billion Glasgow City Region City Deal.
UK Government parliamentary under secretary of state for Scotland, Lord Cameron, joined Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson to see the first section installed.
The Renfrew Bridge will connect Renfrew with Clydebank in West Dunbartonshire and open up work, health, education and leisure opportunities on both sides of the Clyde – with the potential for thousands of additional jobs, fresh investment and new developments brought to the riverside.
In addition to the new bridge, the scheme will create additional connecting roads, cycling and walking routes which will link Inchinnan Road in Renfrew with Yoker railway station, using the new Renfrew North development road.
Council leader Nicolson said: “This project is going to be a gamechanger not only for the two towns, but for wider Renfrewshire and the Glasgow City Region.
“The investment of £117m into Renfrewshire through this project outlines this council’s continued ability to deliver nationally significant projects successfully – with the renovation of Paisley Town Hall into one of Scotland’s top entertainment venues, the creation of the Paisley learning and cultural hub, and the ongoing transformation of Paisley Museum into a world-class visitor destination further proof of positive capital investment we are bringing to the area.
“The new bridge, and its new connecting roads and active travel routes, will offer opportunities on both sides of the river – not only for connectivity and leisure, but for access to new homes, developments and highly skilled jobs within the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) based at Netherton, next to Glasgow Airport.”
The south section of the 184-metre cable-stayed twinleaf bridge has been installed on the Renfrew side of the river at Meadowside Street by civil engineers GRAHAM and the second section of the bridge is due to arrive later this month to be fixed into place at Dock Street, Yoker – bringing a direct link across the Clyde for the first time.
The project is jointly funded by the UK and Scottish governments through the Glasgow City Region City Deal, a partnership of eight councils working to deliver a strong, inclusive and sustainable City Region and an economy which delivers for all people and businesses.
UK Government minister for Scotland Donald Cameron said: “It was fantastic to see the progress being made on this flagship infrastructure project to regenerate the Clyde, improve connectivity and boost the economy.
“The UK Government is proud to be investing £39m in the Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside scheme, part of our £523m investment into the Glasgow City Region Deal and more than £3bn for levelling up across Scotland.”
Civil engineers GRAHAM are delivering the scheme which has supported more than 950 jobs during its construction and generated hundreds of subcontract and supplier opportunities – many of which were taken up by businesses in the local area.
The bridge is due to be completed ahead of schedule and be fully operational for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists by the autumn.