£2.6m upgrade for Albert Bridge

28 Apr 2013

An historic bridge over the River Clyde is to be restored to its former glory at a cost of £2.6 million.

Albert Bridge, which links Saltmarket and Crown Street, is over 140 years old and category A listed. The bridge, opened in 1871, is named after Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert.

In 1999, the city council carried out strengthening work to ensure it could carry heavy vehicles.

It is now planned to upgrade the bridge parapet and return the structure to its original condition.

Jim Coleman, the council's executive member for sustainability and transport, stated in a report: "The original highly detailed cast iron parapets are in very poor condition with many cracks which are uneconomic and impractical to repair.

"Many parts are missing or broken and are visually unattractive."

Restoration work will involve replacing the existing cast iron parapets with identical but stronger ones.