Squinty Bridge opens on River Clyde

The first road bridge to be built for over 30 years over the River Clyde has opened to Glasgow city traffic. Situated in the centre of the city, the £20m structure cuts diagonally across the river, linking Finnieston and the SECC to the Pacific Quay media quarter on the south bank.

The bridge was designed by the Halcrow Group. Civil engineer Edmund Nuttall was appointed by Glasgow City Council to build the bridge for a contract value of £14m with in-house specialist Douglas Stewart acting as both PM and QS.

Chairman of Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Willie Haughey said at the opening ceremony: “Getting this bridge open on time and on budget is a key milestone in the regeneration of this part of the river. This crossing will open up [Pacific Quay] and the surrounding area to new development and investment opportunities.”

Nicknamed Squinty Bridge by locals because of its unusual curved design and the fact that it crosses River Clyde at an angle, the four-lane bridge has been designed to cope with a future light transport system, mainly trams.

This is the first city centre traffic crossing built over the river since the Kingston Bridge was opened in 1969.

Glasgow City Council instigated the project in conjunction with Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Executive. Construction began in May 2005 and was completed in April 2006.