Clyde’s Bridge

This article is about Clyde's Bridge on the A702.
For Clyde Bridge at Motherwell, see Clyde Bridge.
For other Bridges over the Clyde, see the list at the bottom of the page or, see Template:Clyde.

The old bridge below the new

Clyde's Bridge is a 3-arch stone bridge crossing the River Clyde at Wandel to the north of Abington. The two piers sit in the river with substantial triangular cutwaters on either side. The central arch is wider than its two neighbours, giving a slightly humped profile to the parapets, and the abutments sit some distance up the banks, meaning that the side arches only span shallow water. The two piers are nevertheless protected by substantial triangular cutwaters. Iron bracing on some of the arches of the old bridge hint at structural problems in the past. It carried a single lane of traffic which, given the busyness of the road, led to its replacement by the new bridge which stands high above, removing the gradients down onto the old bridge.

Wandel Road Bridge

The A702 is now carried by the Wandel Road Bridge, a modern wide 2-lane, 3-span girder bridge which sits at a skew on the downstream side of the old bridge. The new bridge allowed the road to be straightened slightly, and removed the dip down to the old bridge, with a short embankment on the north east river bank. Unlike the old bridge, the concrete piers are sited on the banks of the river, albeit only just, leaving a clear span across the river itself.

The bridge, and 0.64 mile diversion, was completed in 1974 per the 1974 Scottish Development Department Report.