Kincardine Bridge

Kincardine Bridge
The Kincardine Bridge on the River Forth
Coordinates	56°3′54.5″N 3°43′38.2″W / 56.065139°N 3.727278°W / 56.065139; -3.727278Coordinates: 56°3′54.5″N 3°43′38.2″W / 56.065139°N 3.727278°W / 56.065139; -3.727278
Carries	A985 road
Crosses	Forth River
Locale	Kincardine, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom
Characteristics
Design	Swing bridge with mix of secondary span structure types
Total length	822 metres (2,697 ft)
Longest span	111 metres (364 ft)
History
Designer	Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners
Construction start	1932
Construction end	1936

The Kincardine Bridge is a road bridge crossing the Firth of Forth from Falkirk council area to Kincardine, Fife, Scotland.

The bridge was constructed between 1932 and 1936, to a design by Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners, Consulting Engineers and Architect, Donald Watson. It was the first road crossing of the River Forth downstream of Stirling, completed nearly thirty years before the Forth Road Bridge, which stands fifteen miles to the south-east.

The bridge was constructed with a swinging central section which remained in use until 1988, that would allow larger ships to sail upstream to the small port at Alloa.

The bridge is part of the A985 road (formerly A876), and carries a single lane in each direction. Until the opening of the Clackmannanshire Bridge in 2008, it was the customary diversion route for traffic north from Edinburgh and eastern Scotland when the Forth Road Bridge was closed or under repair. As a result of the additional traffic using the bridge at these times, joining the high volume of regular commuter traffic, the town of Kincardine was frequently congested.

The original bridge, at over 70 years old, was identified by the Scottish Executive as being in need of replacement. The new Clackmannanshire Bridge was opened on 19 November 2008. The original bridge was given Category A listed status by Historic Scotland in 2005 and was closed temporarily for upgrading works in 2011.

With the opening of the new bridge, the Kincardine Bridge was re-numbered as part of the A985 while the new Clackmannanshire Bridge became part of the re-routed A876, forming the Kincardine bypass.