Plans for new £10M footbridge over the River Clyde

Glasgow City Council has announced a company has been appointed to design a new bridge over the River Clyde.

Engineering consultancy CH2M Hill will work on the plans for the £10M crossing between Govan and Partick which is part of the £1.13 billion Glasgow City Region City Deal.

Work on the new bridge which is for pedestrians and cyclists is expected to start in 2019.

The firm has already worked on the designs for the Clyde Arc, the Dalmarnock Smart Bridge and the Tradeston Bridge.

Locals who took part in a consultation wanted the crossing at Water Row in Govan to connect to either Glasgow Harbour East site or a location beside the Riverside Museum, and a feasibility study will examine the most appropriate site for this.

Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “Govan and Partick shared a connection for centuries, and with so much regeneration happening in both communities, the time has come for this bridge to further and strengthen their development. I am delighted to see the beginning of work on this, the next phase of the regeneration of the Clyde.”

"This new connection across the Clyde will stimulate economic growth and improve links between the University of Glasgow Campus and the hub of high-tech research facilities located at the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH).

"It is hoped that the bridge will have a significant positive impact on the regeneration of Govan by re-positioning it at the heart of a triangle of economic opportunity created by the University to the North, the QEUH campus to the west and Pacific Quay to the east. The new bridge will also strengthen the existing circuit of visitor attractions on either bank of the river. This could generate linked trips and encourage people to spend more time and money in the area.

"Historically Govan and Partick were spatially, socially and economically interconnected. For at least 2,000 years, the area had huge importance as a location where it was possible to ford the Clyde. As the river developed its role as a centre of industry, a port and an international seaway, it was deepened; but the vital social and economic connection was maintained through the provision of a network of cross-river ferries. In the late 20th century the river lost its role as a seaway, a port and a centre of industry. The historic Govan ferry was closed to passengers in the mid-1960s.

Both the UK and Scottish Governments will give the Glasgow and the seven neighbouring local authorities in the Clyde Valley £500 million in grant funding for the City Deal, and the local authorities will borrow a further £130 million to use for capital investment.

The Glasgow City Region City Deal is expected to give Glasgow and Clyde Valley a permanent uplift in its GVA of £2.2billion per annum (4.4%); generate 15,000 construction jobs during the construction period and 28,000 permanent additional jobs once construction is complete; and will in turn unlock £3.3billion of investment from the private sector.

The eight local authorities participating in the Glasgow and Clyde Valley City Deal are: East Dunbartonshire Council; East Renfrewshire Council; Glasgow City Council; Inverclyde Council; North Lanarkshire Council; Renfrewshire Council; South Lanarkshire Council and West Dunbartonshire Council.