The Erskine Bridge is now on the Scottish A list

A major Scottish roadbridge has been given Category A listed status.

The Erskine Bridge over the River Clyde, has been awarded Category A status by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) after it was recognised as being of special architectural interest, it was announced today (Thursday 29 November).

The bridge, officially opened in 1972, is one of Scotland’s most architecturally and technically designed bridges of the post-war period and has the longest cable-stayed span of its type in the world. It is one of only three bridges in Scotland with a main span exceeding 300 metres.

The decision to list Erskine Bridge follows on from a consultation launched by HES, West Dunbartonshire Council, Transport Scotland and Renfrewshire Council, where members of the public were invited to express their views on the Bridge being awarded listed status.

Elizabeth McCrone, head of designations at HES, said: ‘The Erskine Bridge is a state-of-the-art infrastructure landmark in Scotland for its time and is recognised for its structural simplicity, economy of materials and slender appearance.

‘Spanning the River Clyde, the Bridge was part of a strategic and highly ambitious expansion of the new motorway network in Scotland, and is directly associated with the period of ambitious transformation of Scotland’s modern infrastructure in the 1960s.

‘Its minimalistic single-cable design – which is exceptionally rare for a large-scale road bridge – combined with its largely unchanged appearance makes it one of the country’s most innovative bridges of the 20^th century, and we’re delighted to recognise its national importance with this Category A status.’

Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, said: ‘Scottish Ministers, through Transport Scotland, have been responsible for the Erskine Bridge’s inspection and maintenance since 1971, so I am delighted that it has been recognised as a Category A listed structure.

‘This well-known landmark is testament to the engineers who designed it, as well as those who have worked on it over the years, and I congratulate everyone involved in this process for their efforts.’