The Jubilee Bridge is a 225m (740ft) road bridge over the River Tay near Dunkeld in Scotland.[1][2] The bridge carries the A9 over the river.[3]
Jubilee Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Jubilee Bridge over the River Tay, looking downstream (south), taken from river level | |
| Coordinates | 56°34′33″N 3°37′19″W / 56.575792°N 3.621836°W |
| Carries | Road users |
| Crosses | River Tay |
| Locale | Scotland |
| Other name(s) | Tay Crossing |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 225m (740ft) |
| No. of lanes | 2 (1 per direction) |
| History | |
| Opened | May 1977 |
| Location | |
 | |
At the southern end of the bridge, a concrete box bridge joins the Jubilee Bridge 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]
The bridge will be duplicated as part of the dualling program by 2032
History
edit
To construct the bridge, the course of the Tay was diverted to allow the bridge to sit within the river valley.[1] The main structure was assembled on the north side of the river and the gradually pulled over to the south side and secured in place.[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 three spans of steel girders on two pairs of piers set at the edge of the river. The bridge construction costed £1.3 million and the consulting engineers for the project were Babtie Shaw & Morton.[5] The bridge has footpaths on both sides.[6]
The construction of the bridge is featured in the documentary about the reconstruction of the A9 now in the National Library of Scotland.[7] It received a Civic Trust award for the effectiveness of its integration with the adjacent landscape.[1]
Improvements
editIn December 2018, essential works were carried out on the bridge to replace a damaged joint to ensure the bridge remained safe for traffic.
In 2018 and 2019, boreholes and trial pits were dug adjacent to the bridge in preparation for improvements.[8]
The bridge will be duplicated in the A9 dualling project (Tay Crossing to Ballinluig) with improvement works expected between 2025 and 2032.[9][10] The project (and therefore the second bridge) was supposed to be complete in 2025, but delays to the project meant that the doubled bridge will be finished by 2032 instead with the project as a whole in 2035.
External Links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "A9". Scottish Roads Archive. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Go-slow zone on A9 as Dunkeld crossing gets urgent overhaul". The Courier. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ a b Turnbull, Ronald (2021-08-15). Walking Ben Lawers, Rannoch and Atholl. Cicerone Press Limited. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-78362-872-8.
- ^ Findlay, Alasdair (2023-06-13). Paddle Scotland. Adlard Coles. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-3994-0147-0.
- ^ "Bridges of the Tay" (PDF). Perthshire Society of Natural Science. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "January 2016 Public Exhibitions Summary Report. Appendix H" (PDF). Transport for Scotland. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "A9 HIGHLAND HIGHWAY". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "A9 Dualling: Tay Crossing To Ballinluig (369056)". Canmore. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Transport Scotland starts moves to dual another section of the A9 Inverness to Perth route". Strathspey Herald. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
- ^ "Transport Scotland engages market on £155M contract for next A9 dualling segment". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 19 July 2024.