Inveresragan Bridge

The old bridge in front of the new bridge

Inveresragan Bridge carries the B845 across the River Esragan a short distance from its mouth in Loch Etive. There are actually two bridges here, an old stone arch bridge built in 1764 by a local Mason, and a modern concrete span sitting immediately downstream of the old bridge.

Old Bridge

The stone arch has a surprisingly wide span for its date, reflecting the nature of this mountain river which can still swell substantially when in spate. The arch ring appears to have been rendered or concreted over in the past, but closer examination suggests it is built of large cut blocks, with a shallow rubble parapet above. The bridge carries a single track roadway, now reduced to an overgrown and impassable footpath. The roadway appears to have a slight crest over the crown of the arch.

New Bridge

The replacement bridge is a concrete structure, probably dating from the 1960s, and carrying a single track road between pavements, with metal railings for parapets. It is likely that the bridge was built in the later 1960s, in order to better accommodate the quarry traffic from Bonawe Quarry. Until 1966, the quarry operated the Bonawe Ferry to Taynuilt on the south shore of Loch Etive, primarily to carry their own product out, but at times also carrying public cars. The service was intermittent, and often substituted with a barge for the quarry lorries. However, with the closure of the Ballachulish railway, and the full toll-free opening of the Connel Bridge, the Bonawe Ferry ceased as it was no longer economic. This would have moved all quarry traffic onto the B845 and Ardchattan roads, so crossing the old Inveresragan Bridge.