Kingston Bridge given listed status to mark 50th anniversary

The Kingston Bridge in Glasgow has been category C listed by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

More than 150,000 vehicles use it each day, making it one of Europe's busiest road bridges.

The 10-lane crossing over the River Clyde was nominated for listing by Transport Scotland to mark the 50th anniversary of its construction in June.

After a public consultation, it has been listed at category C for its special architectural and historic interest.

HES said the bridge transformed Glasgow, with its construction reflecting the social and economic changes taking place in Scotland's cities in the mid 20th century.

It said the crossing has special architectural interest as an early example of a cantilevered concrete box girder bridge.

Elizabeth McCrone, head of designations at HES, said several issues were raised during the public consultation.

These included concerns that listing would mean the bridge must always remain a motorway and the climate change impacts of this, and complaints that recognising the bridge was insensitive given the impact its construction had on local communities at the time.

She said: "In listing the Kingston Bridge, we have responded to the consultation to show both the positive and negative aspects of its history, including how a large part of Anderston Cross was demolished and transformed as part of the city's ambitious and innovative redevelopment of the area, which included the building of the bridge.

"Listing doesn't mean that a structure has to stay the same forever or remain in its original use.

"Rather, it means that there is a special interest that should be taken into account in the planning process.''

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: "The Kingston Bridge has become an iconic landmark in Glasgow so I'm pleased to see its 50 years of operation being recognised in this way.

"The crossing played its part in taking a significant amount of traffic off the city centre streets and paved the way for the pedestrianisation of Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street and Argyle Street.

"It has also courted some controversy over the past half century but there is no doubt it continues to play a vital role today.

"The work that's been carried out to ensure it continues to do this job in the future has won civil engineering awards, so having the Kingston Bridge formally listed is a fitting way to mark its impact over the past 50 years.''

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