IT’S easy to overlook the sheer impact of a major construction project such as Glasgow’s Kingston Bridge, seen here from the air in August 1969.
Archive pictures such as this one also show the extent to which the city's sprawling landscape has changed; many of the buildings in the image no longer exist.
“Glasgow’s new Kingston Bridge, which is to carry the city’s Inner Ring road over the river Clyde at Carnoustie Street, is rapidly taking recognisable form,” said our sister paper, the Evening Times, on August 29, 1969, pointing out that the picture showed the “complicated lines of approach” on the bridge’s northern side.
“The £7.5m bridge will consist of a three-span structure 880ft long and will carry dual five-lane carriageways,” it added. “The main span will reach a height of 80ft above river level.
“The north approaches ... consist of about 8000ft of single, two, three, four and five-lane elevated roadways.
“The bridge and approach works extend from Scotland Street on the south side of the river to St Vincent Street on the north, a distance of just under one mile.”
Read more:
Herald DiaryWhen the bridge was opened by the Queen Mother in June 1970, it was said that the city’s extensive inner ring road had generally been routed through areas scheduled for redevelopment, and that this had involved, or would involve 7,370 houses up until 1975.
In many cases, this paper noted that June, they “did not have much longer to live as useful properties”, but in Charing Cross the project had meant the necessary demolition of”some outstanding buildings such as the Grand Hotel and the headquarters of the St Andrew’s Ambulance Association.”
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