October 9 2023

A replacement road bridge is connecting communities north and south of the Cairngorms National Park while alleviating pressure on the A-listed Gairnshiel Bridge of 1749.

Designed by Moxon Architects with Arcadis structural engineers the Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge improves connectivity between Deeside and Speyside.

Standing in parallel with its military road neighbour the new bridge resolves traffic limitations of the original, which was no longer suitable for the loads and volume of vehicles of the present day, compounded by a narrow width and awkward approach which made collisions a regular occurrence.

The new bridge has been designed with heavy goods vehicles in mind, eliminating the need for a 58km detour as the result of weight restrictions imposed in 2016. Flood risk and the desire to create something of sculptural quality to augment the rural Aberdeenshire landscape also informed the design, which adopts a slender, single-span profile through the river valley, achieved by tapering the lower portion of the structure.

Ben Addy, managing director of Moxon Architects, said: “After years of advocacy and consultations with historic bodies and the local community, we are pleased to have completed the Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge. The new crossing is a simple, but confident companion to the original 18th century masterpiece of military engineering. As well as being a practical solution, our design is rooted in the immediate context of the Cairngorms and reflects the elegant form of the original structure a short distance down the glen, which we are glad to have helped preserve for future generations.”

Finished in local granite and weathered steel the new bridge references its neighbour, which will remain in use for pedestrian and cycle traffic, in material and form. 

2 Comments

#1 Posted by SA on 9 Oct 2023 at 16:09 PM

Lovely!

#2 Posted by Lovely on 13 Oct 2023 at 15:05 PM

The design lines are rather pleasing but the white stone is simply too white. Where did it come from as it looks more Mediterranean than Deeside?

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