Gress Bridge

The B895 crosses the Abhainn Ghriais at Griais by using Gress Bridge. There are actually two bridges here, the modern wide S2 bridge which sweeps around the head of the bay and the older single track bridge sitting a little further upstream. Between them lies the Gress Land Raid Cairn, a prominent roadside monument.

The Old Bridge

The old Drochaid Griais

The older bridge is still relatively modern, being built entirely of concrete. The three spans of the concrete deck are supported by two piers sitting in the shallow, tidal river bed, with the abutments sitting on the sandy banks of the channel. The abutments are of a considerable length, due to the shallow banks, and so the parapets give the impression from the roadway that there are in fact 5 spans, one extra one on either side!

The road deck is single track, despite the approaches on either side appearing to have once been S2 - nature is slowly reclaiming. The southern approach is still open, providing access to the parking area for the cairn, which helps Sabristi view the bridges!

The New Bridge

The new bridge

Lying a little downstream from the old bridge, the new bridge is again a fully concrete structure, comprising two spans, with the central pier in the river. The approaches are across a substantial causeway like bank, which has been grassed over unlike the mass concrete of its predecessor. The deck provides a full S2 road between pavements, with metal railing parapets on either side, in a style used across the country from the 1960s through to the 90s.