H&H was the lead movable bridge and slewing machinery systems designer for this new landmark swing bridge over the River Clyde in Renfrewshire County, Scotland. Renfrew Bridge is the centerpiece of the Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside (CWRR) project, which transforms the waterfront, connects communities on both sides of the river, improves access to jobs, education, hospitals, and leisure pursuits, and creates new connections into Scotland’s manufacturing innovation district. The 184m double-leaf bobtail cable-stayed swing bridge supports vehicular, cyclist, and pedestrian crossing.
The geometry of this elegant and structurally efficient swing bridge allows for cyclist and pedestrian-friendly gradients on the bridge while also providing a significant navigational opening. The 12.3-meter-wide bridge deck features two carriageways and two pedestrian footpaths. The double swing bridge is 130 meters pivot to pivot with an asymmetric or “bobtail” arrangement of 65-meter forward span and 27-meter back span. The steel superstructure spans are gear-driven, hydraulically powered, and open at a 110° angle. The pivots feature 6.7-meter-diameter slewing bearings. The forward steel superstructure is supported by cable-stays anchored to steel pylons and a counterweighted back span.
The project is one of several collaborations with Roughan & O’Donovan. The overall scheme was led by the construction and civil engineering company, GRAHAM, with a robust project team including a joint venture of Hollandia Infra and Iemants, among others.
The double-leaf swing bridge opened to the public on 9 May 2025.
Video Courtesy of Renfrewshire Council and Drone Scotland
