Torphichen Bridge

Torphichen Bridge is an important crossing of the River Avon south west of Linlithgow, which really should have been bypassed many years ago. It carries the A801 across the river at the bottom of the Avon Gorge, after a steep and tortuous descent on either side.

The bridge is a large single arch stone bridge which was built with a slight crest over the arch, although the narrow 2-lane roadway is now level. There is some fine detailing on the abutments and outsides of the parapets, although gaining access to view them is almost impossible, largely due to the densely planted trees on the steep river banks. It was built in c1790 by the Bathgate and Airdrie Turnpike Trust, and apart from regular maintenance hasn't seen any changes since.

The Bridge should have been bypassed in the 1980s when the A801 was thoroughly upgraded to both the north and south of the Avon Gorge. Indeed, to the south, a long line of earthworks stretch to the top of the gorge but the road was never finished, and nearly 40 years later traffic is still queued over the bridge at peak times, waiting patiently to turn out at the top of the hill on the south side of the gorge.