Jubilee Bridge (Tay)

"Tay Crossing" redirects here. For for a list of crossings over the Tay, see list of crossings of the River Tay.

Jubilee Bridge
Jubilee Bridge over the River Tay, looking downstream (south), taken from river level
Coordinates56°34′32″N 3°37′19″W / 56.57556°N 3.62194°W / 56.57556; -3.62194
CarriesRoad users
CrossesRiver Tay
LocaleScotland
Other name(s)Tay Crossing
Characteristics
Total length225m (740ft)
No. of lanes2 (1 per direction)
History
OpenedMay 1977
Location
Map

The Jubilee Bridge is a 254 m (833 ft) road bridge over the River Tay near Dunkeld in Scotland.[1][2] The bridge conveys the A9 road over the river.[3] A concrete box bridge also joins the Jubilee Bridge at its southern end as it carries the A9 over the Highland Main Line. The area of the River Tay below the bridge is accessible for personal watercraft and walkers.[4][3] As part of the A9 dualling project, the bridge will be duplicated by 2032.[5]

History

The A9 on the top of the bridge

Before the bridge was secured in place, much of the bridge works took place north of the river.[1] The bridge was named after the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II and completed in May 1977.[1][2] The bridge is composed of a concrete reinforced deck supported by steel girders in three spans and on two pairs of piers that are positioned at the edge of the river. The bridge construction cost £1.3 million and the consulting engineers for the project were Babtie Shaw & Morton.[6] The bridge has footpaths on both sides.[7]

The construction of the bridge is featured in the 1982 documentary A9 Highland Highway about the reconstruction of the A9 now in the National Library of Scotland.[8] The bridge received a Civic Trust award for the effectiveness of its integration with the adjacent landscape.[1]

Improvements

Further information: A9 dualling project

In December 2018, essential works were carried out on the bridge to replace a damaged joint to ensure the bridge remained safe for traffic.[2] In 2018 and 2019, boreholes and trial pits were dug adjacent to the bridge in preparation for improvements.[9]

The bridge will be duplicated in the A9 dualling project (Tay Crossing to Ballinluig) with improvement works expected between 2025 and 2032.[10][11] The project (and therefore the second bridge) was supposed to be complete in 2025,[12] but delays to the project meant that the doubled bridge will be finished by 2032[5] instead with the project as a whole finished in 2035.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "A9". Scottish Roads Archive. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Go-slow zone on A9 as Dunkeld crossing gets urgent overhaul". The Courier. 10 December 2018. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Turnbull, Ronald (15 August 2021). Walking Ben Lawers, Rannoch and Atholl. Cicerone Press Limited. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-78362-872-8.
  4. ^ Findlay, Alasdair (13 June 2023). Paddle Scotland. Adlard Coles. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-3994-0147-0.
  5. ^ a b "Contractor named for delay-hit £185m A9 upgrade". BBC News. 9 July 2024. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Bridges of the Tay" (PDF). Perthshire Society of Natural Science. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  7. ^ "January 2016 Public Exhibitions Summary Report. Appendix H" (PDF). Transport for Scotland. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  8. ^ "A9 HIGHLAND HIGHWAY". National Library of Scotland. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  9. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "A9 Dualling: Tay Crossing To Ballinluig (369056)". Canmore. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Transport Scotland starts moves to dual another section of the A9 Inverness to Perth route". Strathspey Herald. 17 April 2024. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Transport Scotland engages market on £155M contract for next A9 dualling segment". New Civil Engineer. 17 April 2024. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Work begins on dualling A9 from Inverness to Perth". BBC News. 10 September 2015. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  13. ^ "A9 dualling project delayed by 10 years until 2035". BBC News. 20 December 2023. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.