Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge named Scotland’s best infrastructure project

A strong field of 20 entries from across Scotland were considered by an expert industry panel across several categories including infrastructure, transport, place-making, rail, remediation, best small project, geotechnical and marine.

The Scottish Civil Engineering Awards are widely recognised as the highest honour for engineering excellence in the built environment and showcase innovation and celebrate the vital contribution civil engineers make to our quality of life.

Host Arlene Stuart presented the award on the night to Aberdeenshire Council structures engineer Graeme Fisher and Richard Henderson of Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd.

The structural design work for the new bridge which carries the A939 across the River Gairn was undertaken by Arcadis, with architectural designs handled by Moxon Architects, with Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd being the principal contractor.

The design of the new £3.8 million bridge responded to three key considerations: the river flood levels, the low alignment of the highway and the desire to create a sculptural yet robust form, using locally sourced granite which responds to the natural formation of the glen while complementing the 18th century structure.

The judges were impressed with the unique design, choice of materials and quality of finish which sits sympathetically within the surrounding landscape of the Cairngorm National Park.

Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge received the award for the attention to detail, strong working partnerships and pure engineering challenge delivery.

Bypassing the old bridge after 271 years of faithful service, Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge was named to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 – the year in which construction began.

His Majesty The King formally opened the new Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge on Royal Deeside on October 5, 2023.

This new crossing takes the strain of traffic away from the original bridge and will enable walkers and cyclists to continue to enjoy a journey over this historic structure for many years to come.

Cllr Alan Turner, chair of the council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, said: “I am very proud to see the excellent works undertaken at Gairnshiel being recognised at the Scottish Civil Engineering Awards. This was a major infrastructure development which took significant partnership working between our own services, our design teams and the contractors to overcome the challenges of building such a structure at this location and in the surrounding environment.”

ISC vice-chair Cllr Isobel Davidson added: “There is no doubt that the Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge will provide a far safer route both for our local communities and all the visitors who use the A939 each year and it is tremendous to see the project being recognised at such a high level. On behalf of Aberdeenshire Council, I would like to thank everyone who has been involved at every step of the journey for their due diligence and outstanding efforts through the design and construction processes.”

Cllr Alan Turner, chair of the Aberdeenshire Council Infrastructure Services Committee, said: “This was a major infrastructure development which took significant partnership working between our own services, our design teams and the contractors to overcome the challenges of building such a structure at this location and in the surrounding environment.”