The first opening road bridge across the River Clyde has been hailed as ‘a gamechanger’ as politicians visited the site in Renfrewshire on Friday.
The new bridge is part of the £117million Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside project, being led by Renfrewshire Council and funded as part of the £1.13billion Glasgow City Region City Deal, and UK Government Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland Lord Cameron joined the Renfrewshire Council Leader to see the first section which was installed last week.
The Renfrew Bridge will connect Renfrew with Clydebank and Yoker and open up work, health, education and leisure opportunities on both sides of the Clyde – with the potential for thousands of additional jobs, fresh investment and new developments brought to the riverside.
In addition to the new bridge, the project will create additional connecting roads, cycling and walking routes which will link Inchinnan Road in Renfrew with Yoker Railway Station, using the new Renfrew North Development Road.
It will also see improved access for businesses and suppliers to Scotland’s home of manufacturing innovation AMIDS, which is being developed by the Council in collaboration with Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise
Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “This project is going to be a gamechanger not only for the two towns, but for wider Renfrewshire and the Glasgow City Region.
“The investment of £117million into Renfrewshire through this project outlines this council’s continued ability to deliver nationally significant projects successfully – with the renovation of Paisley Town Hall into one of Scotland’s top entertainment venues, the creation of the Paisley Learning and Cultural Hub, and the ongoing transformation of Paisley Museum into a world-class visitor destination further proof of positive capital investment we are bringing to the area.
“The new bridge, and its new connecting roads and active travel routes, will offer opportunities on both sides of the river – not only for connectivity and leisure, but for access to new homes, developments and highly skilled jobs within the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) based at Netherton next to Glasgow Airport.”
The south section of the 184-metre cable-stayed twin-leaf bridge has been installed on the Renfrew side of the river at Meadowside Street by civil engineers GRAHAM and the second section of the bridge is due to arrive later this month to be fixed into place at Dock Street in Clydebank – bringing a direct link across the Clyde between the two towns for the first time.
The project is jointly funded by the UK and Scottish Governments through the £1.13billion Glasgow City Region City Deal, a partnership of eight councils working to deliver a programme of work to grow a strong, inclusive and sustainable City Region and an economy which delivers for all people and businesses.
UK Government Minister for Scotland Donald Cameron said: “It was fantastic to see the progress being made on this flagship infrastructure project to regenerate the Clyde, improve connectivity and boost the economy.
“The UK Government is proud to be investing £39 million in the Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside scheme, part of our £523 million investment into the Glasgow City Region Deal, and more than £3 billion for levelling up across Scotland.”
Civil engineers GRAHAM are delivering the project which has supported more than 950 jobs during its construction and generated hundreds of subcontract and supplier opportunities, many of which were taken up by businesses in the local area.
The bridge is due to be completed ahead of schedule and be fully operational for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists in Autumn 2024.