Scottish Moveable Road Bridge Closes For The First Time

Renfrew Bridge, the first moveable structure on the River Clyde in the west of Scotland, was successfully closed in a test this week.

Renfrew Bridge in the closed position. Credit: GRAHAM

The 184m cable-stayed twin-leaf bridge connects Renfrew with Yoker across the Clyde. It is intended for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles, and swings open for the passage of river traffic.

Civil engineers GRAHAM are installing the bridge, which will be open in late autumn. Following the first successful closure, GRAHAM will go on to conduct commissioning, including reliability and operational testing, of opening and closing procedures.

The new bridge is part of Renfrewshire Council’s Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside Project. Also involved are Hardesty & Hanover, Roughan & O’Donovan, Ramboll, Amey, Hycom Engineering, and Fairfield Control Systems. The two parts of the bridge were manufactured in the Netherlands by Hollandia Infra and by Smulders Iemants in Belgium. They were brought in by barge across the English Channel and the Irish Sea (link opens in new tab).