Don Bridge or Bridge of Don as it also known, crosses the River Don on the B977 to the north east of Kintore. It was built in 1986 as a direct replacement for the original crossing here which has fallen into disrepair and already been replaced by a temporary bailey bridge in 1985. The bridge is a arched truss similar in style, if not scale, to the original, which carries a wide S2 roadway and pavements. Metal barriers run on the inside of the trusses as parapets, and the pavement on the west side is considerably wider. The apexes of the curved trusses are surmounted by crests which appear to have come from the old bridge. The bridge spans between substantial abutments on either bank which are faced in stone.
Old Bridge
The original bridge across the Don Here was a similar arched truss structure, but with much thinner section steelwork and a thinner deck section. An arched brace section spanned the carriageway at the highest point of the main arches, and was surmounted by the two retained crests, facing out in each direction. The roadway appears to have been a narrow two lane road without pavements, which would almost certainly not have allowed two-way traffic today. The main trusses spanned between stone piers on either bank, joined by arches beneath the road, and rising up past parapet level with tiny castellated drum towers. Beyond these, spanning the banks, were two additional girder spans topped by highly decorative iron railings, looking altogether more substantial than the main crossing!
The old bridge was built in 1882 by James Abernethy & Co from Aberdeen
