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Glen Bridge (Dunfermline)

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Glen Bridge
Location Map ( geo)
The Glen Bridge - Geograph - 402873.jpg
Cameraicon.png View gallery (2)
From:  Pittencrieff Street
To:  Carnegie Drive
Location
Dunfermline
County
Fife
Highway Authority
Fife
Opening Date
1932
Additional Information
Bridge Type:  Concrete Arch Bridge
Engineer:  FA MacDonald & Partners
On road(s)
A907
Crossings related to the A907
Close up of one of the Concrete Arches

The Glen Bridge carries the A907 over the Tower Burn, which disappears into a culvert as it passes under the town centre to the south. The bridge was built in 1931-32 and is a dramatic open lattice of concrete ribs and arches, sadly now largely hidden behind trees and vegetation. There is, however, a small road leading off the car park which passes under the eastern end of the bridge through one of the small side arches. This provides a great view of the structure beneath the roadway, with the two main arch rings supporting the superstructure with cross-bracing.

At the time of opening, despite its substantial size and presumed cost, the bridge effectively only carried a local road. While Pittencrieff Road to the west connected up with the A907 and A994 as it does today, Carnegie Drive (Carnegie Street as it was) to the east was a narrower urban street which reached the A823, Pilmuir Street, but probably didn't provide any better route than the A907 through the town centre, or the A976 further north. It was not until the later 1960s that all of the buildings along the north side of Carnegie Street were cleared away, allowing the road to be widened. However, it was not until much later, after the closure of the old railway line that the A907 was re-routed over the bridge and able to continue east, so avoiding the town centre.

The bridge today carries a wide S2 carriageway between pavements and elegant cast concrete balustrades. The Balustrades are punctuated by four art-deco style piers carrying metal lamp columns, one at each corner of the structure, and another four above the piers of the main arch. Between these light piers, the balustrades are split into bays, three at the ends and seven over the main arch. The eastern end of the bridge is carried on three side arches, diminishing in height as they climb up the bank. The western end is presumed to do the same, but the dense vegetation makes it difficult to be sure.




Glen Bridge (Dunfermline)
Related Pictures
View gallery (2)
The Glen Bridge - Geograph - 402873.jpgGlen Bridge arch - Geograph - 5416775.jpg

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