A FAMOUS Scottish bridge is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of unseen photos.
The Erskine Bridge was opened on 2nd July 1971 by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne and was the first fixed link between Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire.
The previously unseen photos of the bridge have been released by the Glasgow Motorway Archive in a collaborative effort with Transport Scotland.
Stuart Baird from the Glasgow Motorway Archive said: “The Erskine Bridge remains ones of the most ambitious civil engineering projects ever undertaken in Scotland and has become a much loved landmark.
“The Glasgow Motorway Archive is delighted to have unearthed previously unseen photos of its construction in time for its 50th anniversary and we look forward to sharing them, and a few other surprises, on our website and social media channels.”
The fixture which has been standing for half a century now, cost £10.5m back in 1967 but today that total is equivalent to £150m.
The construction of the bridge started back in April 1967 and took over four years to complete. It is 1.3km in length and 30m wide and has its tallest support measuring at 50m.
Graeme Day, Minister for Transport said: “The Erskine Bridge has become an iconic landmark and was, at one point, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
“The crossing helped to significantly cut journey times when it opened to traffic, particularly during the busy tourist seasons.
“It continues to play an important role, carrying over 35,000 vehicles every day.
“The Erskine Bridge has also been listed for unique architectural and technical features, so it’s important to recognise the impact it has made in the past 50 years.”
