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Plans for new Glasgow bridge set to move ahead

BBC CGI of Partick to Govan bridgeBBC
An artist's impression of the planned new bridge in Glasgow

A project to build a new bridge between Govan and Partick in Glasgow is set to move forward next week when the construction contract is awarded.

The £29.5m scheme will see a new pedestrian/cycle bridge over the River Clyde, connecting Water Row with Pointhouse Quay.

Construction firm Farrans (Construction) Ltd has been recommended for the contract.

A council committee will be asked to approve the deal on Thursday.

The new bridge is a Glasgow City Region City Deal project, with funding provided from the Scottish and UK governments.

Final approval of the contract is expected at a City Region cabinet meeting next month.

'Key stage'

Glasgow City Region Cabinet chairwoman Cllr Susan Aitken said the award of the contract would "mark a key stage in a project which will be transformative for the Clyde waterfront and the city region".

She said: "The Govan-Partick bridge will not only provide an active travel connection between the west end and the south side of the city, but will directly create new jobs, apprenticeships, training and other opportunities, as well as complementing a number of other ongoing or forthcoming major regeneration projects that stretch all the way from the University of Glasgow to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital."

Work is expected to begin on site in January, with a completion date towards the end of 2023.

It is expected that 143 construction jobs will be supported through the project, including starts for 11 new employees and five new apprentices.

CGI of Partick to Govan bridge
The £29.5m scheme will see a new pedestrian/cycle bridge over the River Clyde

When plans for the fabricated steel cable-stayed swing bridge were submitted, it was described as "one of the longest opening footbridges in Europe", with a 115m-long deck and a rotating centre span of 68m.

It is hoped the bridge will complement public and private sector investments on both sides of the Clyde, including the University of Glasgow's development of a Clyde Waterfront Innovation Campus next to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and housing plans at Water Row.

Meanwhile, this week Farrans' parent company, Northstone (NI) Ltd was fined £768,000 for breaching health and safety rules at a wind farm construction site in East Ayrshire, after the death of 74-year-old security guard Ronnie Alexander.

Earlier this month, Forth Ports was given the green light by the City of Edinburgh Council to restore the Category A-listed Victoria Swing Bridge located at the Port of Leith.

A six-figure investment will see the structure, which is the largest counterweighted swing bridge in Scotland, fully repaired.

Story provided by local democracy reporter Drew Sandelands.