Clyde Arc, Finnieston Road Bridge Photos, Glasgow river structure design, Engineer

Finnieston Bridge – River Clyde Crossing

Bridge at Pacific Quay, Glasgow, Scotland by Gillespies

post updated 9 July 2023

Major Glasgow bridge – opened 18 Sep 2006

Named the Clyde Arc

photos © Keith Hunter

Finnieston Bridge Glasgow

New Clyde Bridge
Structure in place: Spring 2006
Construction commenced: May 2005
Completion: Sep 2006
Planning permission granted: 2003
Contractor: Edmund Nuttall Ltd
Designers: Halcrow Group / Gillespies
Cost Estimate: £20.3m

photo © Keith Hunter

Clyde Arc

Finnieston Bridge from the west:

building photos © Isabelle Lomholt, Sep 2006

Glasgow City Council –Bridge information Oct 2005

Clyde Arc, Finnieston Road Bridge

Finnieston Bridge site at Pacific Quay: new bridge built for glasgow

Work to build a new 169-metre long road bridge across the River Clyde – the first in over 35 years – is well underway. (Ed. New bridges over the river were built in Cambuslang (at Clydeford Road) and at Garrion Bridge (near Lanark) within that time. Indeed the Garrion Bridge structure is fairly new.)

The £20.3m Finnieston Bridge will be a dramatic new landmark for Glasgow, featuring a central arch span which crosses the river at an angle between the roundabout at Broomielaw/Finnieston Street and the south side of the river.

When complete, the bridge will accommodate four lanes; two dedicated to public transport and two for private and commercial traffic, with additional pedestrian and cyclist paths. It will also allow for the provision of a possible future Light Rapid Transit scheme.

The bridge is being built by Kilsyth based Edmund Nuttall Ltd and is scheduled to be complete by July 2006. Construction started in May this year and piling works for the bridge foundations are currently taking place in the river using a large floating barge.

Other works currently in progress include the fabrication of the new bridge superstructure off-site, pre-casting of bridge deck concrete slab units at the on site pre-casting yard and foundation works for the bridge substructure river piers which features the use of large items of floating construction plant in the river.

The bridge, jointly funded by Glasgow City Council and Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, will offer an instantly recognisable gateway to the city and improve public and private transport links to the city’s new developments.

It will comprise a main span of 96 metres with two end spans of 36.5 metres. Supports for the main span are located within the river with the abutments located behind the existing quay walls. Central navigation headroom at mean high water tide is 5.4 metres.

Finnieston Bridge from the north, nearing completion:

building photos © Adrian Welch, Sep 2006

Finnieston Crane

Clyde Arc – News Archive:
Finnieston Road Bridge
The so-called ‘squinty bridge’ by Gillespies carrying pedestrians and four lanes of traffic across the River Clyde at an oblique angle finally for the go-ahead from the City Council.
8 Nov 2002

Grasp the Clyde
Select quotes from the RIAS Conference on the Clyde:

Sebastian Tombs re Clyde
‘You need to have an authority, created under Scottish legislation, with powers to grasp the whole thing for the long-term’.

Tom McInally re Finniestoun Bridge
‘The bridge could put much of that regeneration at risk’.
Show of hands re ‘was bridge good enough for Glasgow’
almost total opposition

Rob Joiner, conference chairman
‘It’s unanimous – we are going to get a crap bridge, probably one in the wrong place’.
04.12.02

RFAC Reports
Finnieston Bridge – Gillespies with Halcrow & Nuttall
Crown Street – residential development – CZWG Architects
http://www.royfinartcomforsco.gov.uk/oct02.html

Beeb Bridge Bother
Campaigners today launched a fight to stop an £8m road bridge being built across the River Clyde. Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and Glasgow City Council are building the four-lane slanting bridge as a gateway to the multi-million-poundPacific Quay Hub development.

The BBC demanded the building of the bridge as part of its move to new headquarters. But objectors have warned the arched bridge – with a 17ft clearance above the water’s highest point – is far too low.
26.09.02

Finnieston Street