Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge

The Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge provides the crucial river crossing on the “Snow Road”; the north-south link for people travelling between Deeside and Speyside.

The bridge runs parallel to the Category A Listed 1749 Gairnshiel Bridge, which was built following the second Jacobite rising as part of the Hanoverian military road network that extends across the Highlands. Intended for foot traffic, horses and carriages the historic bridge was no longer suitable for modern day traffic and, despite the implementation of weight restrictions in 2016, its geometry, narrow width and tight approach created difficulty for many vehicles resulting in regular bridge strikes that caused significant structural damage and disruptive road closures. With the aim of improving access over the River Gairn, the new bridge has two lanes of traffic and is capable of carrying large goods vehicles, eliminating the need for 58km detours caused by bridge damage while preserving the historic s tructure for generations to come.

Drawing on detailed analysis of the existing bridge and assessing the technical requirements of the new location, the new bridge was designed to respond to three key considerations: the river flood levels, which required a single clear span; the low alignment of the highway, which required the bridge to have a slender profile in elevation; and the desire to create a sculptural yet robust form that responds to the natural formation of the glen while complementing the adjacent 18th-century structure. Featuring a slim-line, refined geometry and robust materials including recycled granite for the parapets and embankments with weathering steel structure for the primary structure, the new Gairnshiel Jubilee Bridge is designed to have a distinct point of difference from the old while also intended as a contemporary companion of the original structure.

The spare, elegant humpback arch form of the original bridge span is completed by beautiful wing walls that taper off into the landscape. While necessarily adopting a different structural typology, the new bridge maintains a similarly slender profile by tapering the lower portion of the structure. The precast concrete parapets are faced in locally sourced granite, as are the abutment wing walls which, in a conscious echo of the historic bridge, taper down to gently merge into the landscape. Named in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the year in which construction began, the bridge was officially opened to the public by His Majesty The King on Thursday 05 October 2023.