2018

NM9134 : Connel Bridge

taken 5 years ago, near to Connel, Argyll And Bute, Scotland

This is 1 of 36 images, with title Connel Bridge in this square
Connel Bridge
Connel Bridge
The Category B listed bridge was completed in 1903 for the Ballachulish branch of the Caledonian Railway's Callander-Oban line, and is the second largest single-span cantilevered bridge in Great Britain at 500 feet (152.5m). It was later modified to use as a road bridge, and today carries the A828 across the entrance to Loch Etive.
Connel Bridge

The Connel Bridge, or Connel Ferry Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans Loch Etive at Connel. The bridge takes the A828 road across the narrowest part of the loch, at the Falls of Lora. It was completed in 1903 for the Caledonian Railway, and lies about 6 miles north east of Oban on the A828, north of the A85.

Although it was originally built as a single track railway bridge, a roadway was added to the bridge, alongside the railway line, in 1914. Due to the close proximity of road and railway, road traffic and trains were not permitted on the bridge at the same time and the bridge was effectively operated as an extended level crossing with gates. A toll was payable by road users.

This mode of operation continued until 1966, when the railway line was closed. With the rail service removed, the single track road was widened for the exclusive use of road vehicles and pedestrians, and the toll was removed. Despite the railway track having been removed, the roadway is not wide enough for two vehicles to cross each other and the bridge still operates as a one-way service controlled by traffic lights, with the remaining space devoted to pedestrians and cyclists.

At the time of its completion in 1903, the single-span structure was the second largest clear span in Europe, creating a steel cantilever bridge with a main span of some 500 feet, passing some 50 feet above the water. While the design pre-dates 1900, the appearance of the bridge is that of a much later item. The steel arches at each end of the bridge have been raised after being struck by overheight vehicles. The current height limit for vehicles using the bridge is 4.2 metres.

LinkExternal link Secret Scotland
LinkExternal link SABRE
LinkExternal link Wikipedia


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Richard Sutcliffe and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Coastal Roads, Road transport Railways Estuary, Marine Primary Subject: Bridge
This photo is linked from: Articles: · Architectural features illustrated Automatic Clusters: · Loch Etive [49] · Road Bridge [35] · Railway Line [16] · Completed in 1903 [5] · Category B Listed [3] Other Photos: · Old jetty, Connel Title Clusters: · Connel Bridge [36] ·
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Grid Square
NM9134, 254 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Richard Sutcliffe   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Thursday, 1 November, 2018   (more nearby)
Submitted
Tuesday, 6 November, 2018
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NM 911 345 [100m precision]
WGS84: 56:27.3734N 5:23.5076W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NM 9096 3437
View Direction
Northeast (about 45 degrees)
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Image Type (about): cross grid 
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