Stuart Baird. The area was assigned to Ward 54 until 2007 when it was reclassified as part of the Govan ward. “Before the bridge was built, the city had a huge traffic congestion problem. Stuart, who is also a Transport Scotland bridge manager, said: “The people who commissioned and designed it knew it was going to be a busy bridge. You can unsubscribe at any time.The M8 motorway being built at Charing Cross next to the Mitchell LibraryThe clever arch of the Kingston Bridge which allowed shipping to continueThe Kingston Bridge is part of the M8 motorway that goes through the heart of GlasgowSupporting pillars being put in place in Anderston to support the bridge The 50 th anniversary of the Kingston Bridge is being celebrated with a bid to give the iconic structure listed as a structure of historic and architectural interest.. The motorway ripped through heart of Glasgow but traffic expert says the bridge helped transform transport links in the city.Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our personalised newsletter.It might not have the global fame of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the impressive backdrop of Sydney’s Harbour Bridge or the history of London’s Tower Bridge.The 52,000-ton structure took three years to build and cost about £11million – the equivalent of more than £180million today.When construction began in May 1967, it was the most expensive road project yet undertaken in Glasgow.But Stuart Baird, from the Glasgow Motorway Archive, said its value must be measured in so much more than money.He said: “The Kingston Bridge transformed Glasgow – and its innovative design dominates the landscape.“Before the bridge was built, the city had a huge traffic congestion problem. The Kingston Bridge is a balanced cantilever dual-span ten lane road bridge made of triple-cell segmented prestressed concrete box girders crossing the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland.. Carrying the M8 motorway through the city centre, the Kingston Bridge is one of the busiest bridges in Europe, carrying around 150,000 vehicles every day. The heart of the M8 motorway across Glasgow, it was constructed as part of the Inner Ring Road. Kingston is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, from which the Kingston Bridge takes its name.

Together with Ibrox, it forms one of the 56 neighbourhoods of Glasgow defined by Glasgow City Council for operational purposes. If you were driving from Greenock to Edinburgh, or Stirling to Ayr, all those main cross-country roads converged in the city centre.“So the decision was made to construct a motorway – with a crossing over the River Clyde – that would by-pass the city centre.“The result was a drop in traffic in the city centre by 75 per cent.“It allowed city leaders to bring forward their other idea to pedestrianise the main shopping streets – Buchanan Street, Sauchiehall Street, Argyle Street – because almost all the traffic was gone.“The Kingston Bridge has brought so much to the city and deserves so much more love.”Planning chiefs in Glasgow first started devising a masterplan for the city’s transport network in the wake of World War II.At the time, there was little money for the ideas suggested, which included the Clyde Tunnel and a Glasgow inner ring road, but by the 60s city chiefs made use of funding that had become available to attempt to future-proof the city.Initial suggestions centred on a low-level bridge for local traffic to cross between Tradeston and Broomielaw, with a higher-level bridge that would take vehicles heading from one side of the country to another.Instead, just one high bridge sits 60ft above the River Clyde, with five lanes of traffic in each direction.

The Kingston Bridge officially opened on June 26, 1970 and today road chiefs will make a bid to get the prominent route listed as a structure of historic and architectural interest. “Glasgow Corporation, as the council was then known, and the Clyde Port Authority demanded the design of the bridge ensured the river was kept free of obstruction – so no supports holding the bridge in the river – meaning ships could travel into the city centre.“This led to the bridge having such an innovative design, with its slender hollow arches that span across the water.”Having to keep both the river and the roads below the bridge open during its construction caused issues for the engineers and builders.Stuart said: “To build the bridge, they had to cantilever it out from both banks of the river.“The method they used meant they didn’t have to put any restrictions below, which was fairly innovative at the time.“It’s all hollow boxes that were pushed out until they finally met in the middle.