Kessock Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 57°29′58″N4°13′48″W / 57.499448°N 4.229976°W /57.499448; -4.229976 |
| Carries | A9 road |
| Crosses | Beauly Firth |
| Locale | Inverness, Scotland |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cable-stayed bridge |
| Total length | 1,056 metres (3,465 ft) |
| Longest span | 240 metres (787 ft) |
| History | |
| Fabrication by | Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company |
| Opened | 6 August 1982 byThe Queen Mother |
| Location | |
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TheKessock Bridge (Scottish Gaelic:Drochaid Cheasaig)[1] carries theA9 trunk road across theBeauly Firth atInverness, Scotland.
The Kessock Bridge is acable-stayed bridge across theBeauly Firth, an inlet of theMoray Firth, between the village ofNorth Kessock and the city ofInverness in theScottish Highlands.
The bridge has a total length of 1,056 metres (3,465 ft) with a main span of 240 metres (787 ft). Designed by German engineerHellmut Homberg [de] and built byCleveland Bridge,[2][3][4] it is similar to a bridge across theRhine betweenRees andKalkar. TheBeauly Firth is a navigable waterway and hence the bridge is raised high over sea level. The four bridge towers dominate the Inverness skyline, especially at night when they are lit.
The bridge carries theA9trunk road north fromInverness to theBlack Isle. It is the southernmost of the "Three Firths" crossings (Beauly,Cromarty andDornoch) which has transformed road transport in the Highlands. It has proved a key factor in the growth of the city of Inverness.[citation needed]
To protect against any potential seismic activity of theGreat Glen Fault, the bridge includesseismic buffers in its construction. These buffers are at the north abutment, nearly over the line of the fault, and they supplement longitudinal restraint at Pier 7, the south main pier. Each buffer is just over 3 metres (9 ft 10 in) long and weighs about 2.5 tonnes (2.8 short tons).[5]
On the south side of the bridge is theCaledonian Stadium, home ofInverness Caledonian Thistle.[citation needed]
The bridge has been the focus of mental health concerns in recent years involving people at serious risk of harm and potentialsuicides. In 2022 police were called to 203 such incidents, the highest in five years. Fewer callouts to any previous incidents had happened in years before that; 120 occurred in 2021, 69 in 2020, 85 in 2019 and 78 in 2018. The incidents have caused the bridge to be closed many times with traffic becoming heavy whilst they divert through local routes such as through Beauly. There have been calls for safety improvements to the bridge to prevent incidents.[6]
Prior to August 1982, travellers north of Inverness had the choice of theKessock Ferry or a 20 mile journey viaBeauly. Cleveland Bridge were awarded the £17.5 million contract in 1975 (equivalent to £185,420,000 in 2023).[7][8] Construction on the bridge began in 1978, with completion and opening in 1982.[9] It won the combined design and constructionSaltire Society 1982 Civil Engineering Award in 1983.[10][11]
Transport Scotland estimated in 2012 that 30,000 vehicles per day were using the bridge.[9]
Since 2007, the 25th anniversary of its opening, the Kessock Bridge has featured on the obverse of the£100 note issued by theBank of Scotland. The series of notes commemorates Scottish engineering achievements with illustrations of bridges in Scotland such as theGlenfinnan Viaduct and theForth Bridge.[12]
The bridge's northbound carriageway was resurfaced between February and June 2013,[13] followed by the southbound carriageway between February and June 2014.[14] Both programmes of work were performed by Stirling Lloyd Construction Limited using their "Eliminator" bridge deck waterproofing system in combination with Aeschlimann AG'sGussasphalt [de] impermeable surfacing material.[14][15] The new surface is guaranteed by the contractors for a period of 10 years, with a prediction that it will extend the life of the bridge by 10 to 20 years beyond that.[14]
In 2019, the bridge was awarded a Category B listed status by Historic Environment Scotland.[16]
