Kessock Bridge opens in 1982

THE opening of the Kessock Bridge to carry the A9 trunk road was a significant milestone in the transport network for the north of Scotland.

Before 1982, travellers north of Inverness had the choice of crossing the Beauly Firth via the Kessock Ferry, which was not geared up for significant volumes of traffic, or driving more than 20 miles via Beauly.

Construction on the bridge started in 1976 and was completed six years later. It was built by Cleveland Bridge and won the combined design and construction Saltire Award.

Designed by German engineer Hellmut Homberg, it has a total length of 3465 ft with a main span of 787 ft.

The official opening was carried out by the Queen Mother in August a few weeks after traffic had started using it.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.