Silver Bridge (Garve)

The A835 crosses the Black Water a number of times as it winds its way up the valley to the Aultguish Inn at Loch Glascarnoch. The bridge just north of Garve is called Silver Bridge. Unlike other old bridges in the area it isn't listed, making it difficult to tell how old it is. However, what is known is that it has been replaced by the new bridge a couple of metres downstream.

The Old Bridge

Sabristi swarming over the bridge on the 2012 roadtrip

Two stone arches span the river, with a central pier in a lump of bedrock rising from the river bed. The bridge carries a level roadway and is otherwise similar in design to the structure downstream at Contin Bridge which is attributed to Thomas Telford in 1812, albeit without the cutwaters and pilasters due to the central pier resting on rock. This would suggest that this bridge was part of the same Highland Road project.

The bridge actually crosses two different channels of the river, which at this point is tumbling quite steeply over rapids and falls into a pool below the new bridge. Indeed, it is such a picturesque spot that a car park lies alongside, utilising part of the old road alignment.

The New Bridge

The New Bridge

Lying almost parallel downstream is the new bridge, this time a single span concrete structure supported by steel girders under the deck. The roadway is a full S2 width with pavements on both sides and metal railing parapets. The road is following a long sweeping curve as it crosses the bridge, and indeed there is a slight curve on the bridge span itself, managed by cantilevering the pavements out by different amounts to either side of the straight girders.

The 2 mile Silver Bridge - Gorstan diversion was completed in 1982 per the Roads in Scotland Report for 1982. The tender included the 33.01m bridge and 0.45 mile river diversion.