Kinlochleven Viaduct

The curve of the road

The Kinlochleven Viaduct is dated 1929 and was built to take the road over the tramway from the Aluminium works to the small harbour on Loch Leven, and away from the residential Garbheinn Road. This also avoided the level crossing on Garbheinn Road. It is a substantial and dramatic structure, curving as it climbs from the shore to the road on the hillside above. Most of the spans have elegant cross-bracing to provide stiffness to the structure. However, the obvious gaps in the middle were left to allow the tramway to pass through. The whole structure is concrete, with the footways cantilevered out either side of the piers, and concrete ballustraded parapets rising above.

When first opened, the A829 was re-routed across the viaduct, after only recently being extended along the north shore of Loch Leven. Then, in 1934, the A82 was re-routed around the Loch to avoid the ferry, but in 1975 with the opening of the Ballachulish Bridge, the A82 returned to its original route (give or take!), and the road through Kinlochleven was downgraded to the B863.