Duntocher Bridge

Duntocher Bridge is on the A82/Great Western Road to the west of Glasgow, between the A8014 Kilbowie Road roundabout and the junction with the A810 Dumbarton Road. The bridge is at the bottom of a small dip, and is probably not even noticed by motorists. The parapets are plain, and curve upwards slightly in the centre.

The only way to view the bridge properly is from a riverside path on the north side - and from underneath. There's parking in the housing estates alongside the A82, but you have to walk back out onto the main road to get to the path alongside the river.

The bridge deck is carried on five arched spans - the smaller pairs at either end supported on the slanting piers which hold up the large barrel vault in the centre. The piers change in angle to cope with the additional load. The central span is a single large barrel vault. The upper part of the slanting piers also slope, so the sideways force of the barrel vault is translated down onto the lower piers. Decoration is minimal, with the usual faceted surfaces. The bridge was built in two halves, one for each carriageway. The markings on the lower abutment are drainage holes.

Links

• David D Miller's site on Owen Williams Bridges