The iconic Erskine Bridge has hit a major milestone with today marking the 50th anniversary of its opening.
The famous crossing - the first fixed link between Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire - was opened by HRH Princess Anne on July 2, 1971, four years after construction began.
And to mark today's anniversary a series of unseen photos of the bridge have been published.
Construction on the project began in April 1967 at a cost of £10.5m, which is the equivalent of almost £150m today.
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The bridge is 1.3km in length and 30m wide, with its tallest support measuring 50m.
Commenting on the anniversary, Minister for Transport, Graeme Dey, said: “The Erskine Bridge has become an iconic landmark and was, at one point, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.
“The crossing helped to significantly cut journey times when it opened to traffic, particularly during the busy tourist seasons. It continues to play an important role, carrying over 35,000 vehicles every day.
“The Erskine Bridge has also been listed for unique architectural and technical features, so it’s important to recognise the impact it has made in the past 50 years.”
The Glasgow Motorway Archive, in collaboration with Transport Scotland, has released a number of previously unseen photos of the Erskine Bridge, viewable in this article.
Stuart Baird from the Glasgow Motorway Archive said: “The Erskine Bridge remains ones of the most ambitious civil engineering projects ever undertaken in Scotland and has become a much loved landmark.
“The Glasgow Motorway Archive is delighted to have unearthed previously unseen photos of its construction in time for its 50 th anniversary and we look forward to sharing them, and a few other surprises, on our website and social media channels.”
