First half of Renfrew Bridge arrives by barge

The first half of a new swing bridge over the River Clyde in Renfrew, has arrived on site by barge from the Netherlands.

Principal contractor Graham Construction is building the Renfrew Bridge for Renfrewshire Council as part of the €137m Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside development project.

The 184m-long cable-stayed twin-leaf bridge will carry a two-lane road connecting Renfrew with Yoker and Clydebank over the River Clyde.

Graham Construction said the south section of the bridge sailed up the River Clyde after completing a seven-day barge trip from the Netherlands, via the English Channel and up the Irish sea to reach the west coast of Scotland.

Graham’s team will install the first section on the Renfrew side of the river at Meadowside Street, ahead of the north section of the bridge arriving next month. It will be fixed into place at Dock Street in Yoker.

Renfrewshire Council has said that the bridge should be open ahead of schedule for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists by the end of this year.

The bridge was manufactured by Hollandia Infra in the small industrial town of Krimpen aan den Ijssel on the Nieuwe Masse, a tributary of the Rhine River in Dutch province of South Holland.

Due to its length and weight of 1,600tonnes, lifting required three floating cranes, Matadors, from Rotterdam-based heavy lifting specialist Bonn & Mees. Using SPMTs – self-propelled modular transporters – the bridge was brought into load-out position along the quay where the three Matador cranes took over the weight and maneuvered the bridge onto the pontoon, supplied by heavy transportation and lift specialist Sarens.