Erskine Bridge
Erskine Bridge | |
---|---|
Freeman Fox & Partners, W.A.Fairhurst and Partners, Christiani & Nielsen, Lehane, Mackenzie and Shand Ltd | |
Fabrication by | Fairfields-Mabey |
Construction start | 1967 |
Construction cost | £10.5 million |
Inaugurated | 2 July 1971 |
Replaces | Erskine Ferry |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | ~35,000 vehicles |
Toll | Free |
Location | |
The Erskine Bridge is a multi span
Construction
The bridge was designed by
Steel was used to construct the deck and pylons and the piers are made from concrete. The road surface is mastic asphalt and consists of a two-lane dual carriageway and cycle/footpaths on each side. It has a 305 m (1,001 ft) main span and two 110 m (360 ft) approach spans. The width of the road deck is 31.25 m (102.5 ft). Pylon height is 38 m (125 ft) high. The total length of the bridge including approaches is 1,321.87 m (4,336.8 ft). The clearance of the bridge is 45 m (148 ft). The weight of the steel is 11,700 tonnes. 1,250 miles (2,010 km) of galvanised wire with a breaking load of 500 tonnes were used during construction.[5][6][7][8] The bridge has 15 spans in total and rests on 14 diamond shaped piers which have been designed to allow air to circulate freely around them. The deck and piers have been designed to flex with temperature changes. In the event of the bridge traffic numbers increasing the cycle tracks can be configured to include a third lane. There are 4 water mains pipes and 2 gas pipes running the full length of the underside of the bridge.[9][10][11] It is the only bridge in Scotland with single cables over central main supports and was in this respect a precursor of the Millau Viaduct in France. At the time of building it was the longest bridge of its type in the world.[6][12] The bridge cost,including approaches, was £10.5million(equivalent to £202,750,000 in 2021).[13].[8]
Princess Anne opened the bridge on 2 July 1971.[14] The ceremonial plaque of the opening can be seen on the railings of the western footpath, at the centre of the main span.
Whilst the bridge was being constructed, the West Gate Bridge in Australia also designed by Freeman Fox & Partners, collapsed. An investigation published on 14 July 1971 found faults in the design. The reason for collapse was a difference in camber between 2 girders on the west span. The Erskine Bridge had already opened but needed further stiffening to meet new standards established due to the collapse of the West Gate Bridge.[2]
The bridge operates an overload weight detection system which logs vehicles axle weights. The weigh in motion system uses electric sensors and an ANPR camera. There is also a camera that takes photos of the vehicle from side-on which can identify the haulage company at fault. The system can also check if HGV axles are lifted when they should not be and is operational 24 hours a day. Reports can be printed for overweight vehicles.[15]
Geography
The bridge itself is the A898 road and its short approach from the south is the
Toll bridge
Events
There have been two known births on the bridge. The first was a boy who was born 19 September 1990; he was subsequently named Oliver Erskine Edwards in homage to the bridge. A second baby, Kiera Sarah-Marie McFettridge was born in an ambulance on the bridge on 18 January 2011.[28] The bridge has also been the subject of a murder investigation and ensuing court case after parts of a man's dismembered body were found underneath the bridge in late 2001. A man was subsequently arrested and convicted for this crime.[29]
An
The bridge has been used once by a group of
The bridge was designated a Category A listed structure in 2018 by Historic Environment Scotland, due to being "a state-of-the-art infrastructure landmark in Scotland for its time... recognised for its structural simplicity, economy of materials and slender appearance".[33]
Suicides
The bridge is one of Scotland's most notorious suicide spots: estimates suggest that more than fifteen people commit suicide there each year.[34][35][36][37][38][39][40] This has led to the Samaritans charity placing signs at each path leading onto the bridge and also within four public telephone boxes that are situated on the twin footpaths running adjacent to the roadway on either side of the river. There are also normal SOS phones as seen on motorways nationwide. The bridge was brought into the media spotlight again after the death of two teenage girls who absconded from a nearby secure unit.[41][42][43] In September 2011, work started to install suicide barriers along the length of the bridge to prevent future suicide attempts. Installation of the new barriers was completed by Amey Highways at a cost of £3.5 million.[44] The vehicle barriers are also being upgraded. The new barriers being installed are H4a High Containment Vehicle Barriers. These works will also see the towers and the suspension cables being re-painted. Stage one of this upgrade started on 15 July 2013 and is scheduled to last for 12 months. Highway Barrier Solutions are undertaking the upgrade which will cost £6 million and whilst ongoing the traffic is being monitored by Bluetooth technology. There are detectors on the bridge entry points which feed live traffic reports to the Traffic Scotland website.[45]
See also
- List of places in West Dunbartonshire
- List of places in Renfrewshire
- List of longest cable-stayed bridge spans
- Transport in Scotland
- West Gate Bridge in Melbourne, Australia
References
- ^ "Erskine Bridge Tolls Act 1968: Erskine Bridge Accounts 2005-06". Scotland.gov.uk. 30 November 2006. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Construction of the Erskine Bridge". Erskinebridge.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "The M898/A898 Trunk Road (Erskine Bridge) (Temporary Prohibition of Traffic and 40mph Speed Restriction) Order 2013" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 22 May 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Erskine Ferry River Clyde (222560)". Canmore. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Construction of the Erskine Bridge". Erskinebridge.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Erskine Bridge". Engineering Timelines. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ Nicolas Janberg, Chief Editor. "Erskine Bridge (Old Kilpatrick/Erskine, 1971)". Structurae. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
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has generic name (help) - ^ a b c Historic Environment Scotland. "Erskine Bridge River Clyde (68383)". Canmore. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Design 1971 Journal - VADS: the online resource for visual arts". Vads.ahds.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- ^ "SteelConstruction.org – All the information you need about steel construction". Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ "ERSKINE BRIDGE". National Library of Scotland. Archived from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "Erskine - Renfrewshire Council". Renfrewshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ "Princess Opens Erskine Bridge - British Pathé". Britishpathe.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ TDC Systems Limited (2 July 1971). "Erskine Bridge Overload Detection System". Tdcsystems.co.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Erskine Bridge Details (43308)". Canmore. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Erskine Bridge Mar Hall (43313)". Canmore. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "New era for Erskine Bridge". Transport Scotland. 3 April 2006. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ "SCOTLAND | Tolls suspended on Scottish bridge". BBC News. 31 August 2001. Archived from the original on 4 November 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Erskine Bridge Tolls Act 1968: Erskine Bridge Accounts 2005-06". Scotland.gov.uk. 30 November 2006. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ "New era for Erskine Bridge". Transport Scotland. 3 April 2006. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "UK | Scotland | Tolls removed from Scots bridges". BBC News. 11 February 2008. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Achieve environmental and economic objectives of reducing pollution and congestion" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ "Erskine Bridge Tolls Act 1968: Erskine Bridge Accounts 2005-06". Scotland.gov.uk. 30 November 2006. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ Custom byline text: Ken Smith (5 August 1996). "Soaring cost of a white elephant". Herald Scotland. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ "Erskine Bridge Tolls Act 1968: Transport Scotland: Erskine Bridge Accounts 2006-07". Scotland.gov.uk. 3 January 2008. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ "Prioritising bridge maintenance". Transport Scotland. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ "Interesting facts about the Erskine Bridge". Erskinebridge.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "UK | Scotland | Man convicted of double murder". BBC News. 8 April 2003. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Erskine Bridge is closed after oil-rig collision Towing accident ends in severe damage". Herald Scotland. 5 August 1996. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "Erskine Bridge Collision - Scottish Office Pursues Recovery of Costs". Scotland.gov.uk. 2 February 1998. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ Graham Fraser (11 August 2010). "Adrenaline junkies jump off Erskine Bridge | Glasgow & West | News | STV". News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ The Erskine Bridge joins the A-list, Historic Environment Scotland, 29 November 2018
- ^ "The toll of tragedy at Gartnavel. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ Custom byline text: David Ross (21 December 2013). "Family of mother who took her own life to sue health board". Herald Scotland. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ "Man scales Erskine Bridge | News". Clydebank Post. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ Custom byline text: Chris Watt Chris Watt (17 October 2009). "Man leaps to death from Erskine Bridge". Herald Scotland. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Suicide son's mum will sue. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ Custom byline text: From the archive (19 February 2000). "Depressed student in bridge suicide plunge". Herald Scotland. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ "The Isle of Man's Premier Radio Station". Manx Radio. 30 November 2009. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ "Teenage girls held hands as they leapt from Erskine Bridge in apparent suicide pact". The Scotsman. 5 October 2009. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "BBC News - Inquiry blames Good Shepherd centre over Erskine Bridge deaths". BBC News. Bbc.co.uk. 1 May 2012. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Fatal Accident Inquiry into the deaths on Erskine Bridge - Judgments & Sentences - Judiciary of Scotland". Scotland-judiciary.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Higher barriers on Erskine Bridge". Clydebank Live. 3 August 2012. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "A898 Erskine Bridge Vehicle Barrier Replacement". Transport Scotland. 13 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.