Council awards design contract for River Clyde bridge

Glasgow City Council has appointed CH2M Hill to undertake the design of a new bridge across the River Clyde between Govan and Partick.

An exact location for the pedestrian/cycle bridge has yet to be finalised, and no decision has been made on whether the bridge would be a steel composite structure.

CH2M Hill (formerly Halcrow) has previously delivered a number of bridges across the River Clyde, including the Clyde Arc, the Dalmarnock Smart Bridge and the Tradeston Bridge.

The bridge will once again make the historical connection between the two areas, and will be able to open to ensure that vessels such as the Waverley will still be able to berth up-stream.

Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “Govan and Partick shared a connection for centuries, and with so much regeneration happening in both communities, the time has come for this bridge to further and strengthen their development.  I am delighted to see the beginning of work on this, the next phase of the regeneration of the Clyde.”

Historically Govan and Partick were spatially, socially and economically interconnected. For at least 2,000 years, the area had huge importance as a location where it was possible to ford the Clyde.

As the river developed its role as a centre of industry, a port and an international seaway, it was deepened; but the vital social and economic connection was maintained through the provision of a network of cross-river ferries. In the late 20th century the river lost its role as a seaway, a port and a centre of industry. The historic Govan ferry was closed to passengers in the mid-1960s.