Kincardine Bridge
Encyclopedia
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
crossing the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
from Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
council area
Council Area
A Council Area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act.-Legislation :1889...
to Kincardine-on-Forth, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
History
The bridge was constructed between 1932 and 1936, designed by Donald Watson. It was the first road crossing of the River ForthRiver Forth
The River Forth , long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland.The Forth rises in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some west of Stirling...
downstream of Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
, completed nearly thirty years before the Forth Road Bridge
Forth Road Bridge
The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth, connecting the capital city Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, to Fife, at North Queensferry...
, which stands fifteen miles to the south-east.
The bridge was constructed with a swinging central section, to allow larger ships to sail upstream to port in Alloa
Alloa
Alloa is a town and former burgh in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on on the north bank of the Firth of Forth close to the foot of the Ochil Hills, east of Stirling and north of Falkirk....
, which remained in use until 1988.
The bridge is part of the A985 road (formerly A876), and is a single lane each way. It is the common diversionary route for traffic north from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and eastern Scotland when the Forth Road Bridge is closed or under repair. As a result of the high volume of commuter traffic using the bridge, the town of Kincardine is frequently congested.
Second bridge
The original bridge, now over 70 years old, has been identified by the Scottish ExecutiveScottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
as in need of replacement. A new Upper Forth Crossing
Upper Forth Crossing
The Clackmannanshire Bridge is a road bridge over the Firth of Forth in Scotland which opened to traffic on Wednesday 19 November 2008. Prior to 1 October 2008 the bridge was referred to as the upper Forth crossing while the name was chosen....
was built for opening in 2008. Despite this, the original bridge has been given Category A listed status by Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
and will be closed in 2011 for around 12 months for upgrading.
On 1 October 2008 it was announced that the new bridge would be called the "Clackmannanshire Bridge". The second bridge opened on 19 November 2008. Traffic through the village of Kincardine is expected to be cut by 80% as a result.
With the opening of the new bridge, the Kincardine Bridge was renumbered as part of the A985 and the new bridge became part of the rerouted A876 forming the bypass of Kincardine
Kincardine
Kincardine or Kincardine-on-Forth is a small town located on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, in Fife, Scotland. The town was given the status of a Burgh of barony in 1663. It was at one time a reasonably prosperous minor port...
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See also
- 380kV Forth Crossing380kV Forth CrossingThe 380kV Forth Crossing is the tallest electricity pylon in Scotland. It stands next to the Clackmannanshire Bridge and the Kincardine Bridge, and crosses the River Forth....
- M876 motorwayM876 motorwayThe M876 motorway is a motorway in Scotland. The motorway runs from Denny to Airth in the Falkirk council area, forming an approach road to the Kincardine Bridge. It was opened in 1980....
- Upper Forth Crossing official website