By VIVENNE NICOLL

WORK on restoring a historic 145-year-old bridge across the Clyde is nearing completion.

The city council decided to refurbish Albert Bridge linking Saltmarket and Crown Street after it was found to have cracks, broken parts and shabby paintwork.

The £3.5million upgrade began in Spring last year and since then has been shrouded in scaffolding to allow work to be carried out.

It will shortly begin to be dismantled and it is hoped work will be finished by the end of June.

The scheme has involved replacing the deck with a reinforced concrete deck, repainting and repairing the ironwork, replacing temporary lighting columns with ornamental lighting and installing lifebelt poles.

Local councillor Soryia Siddique, who campaigned for the bridge to be upgraded, welcomed the work coming to an end.

She said: “I am delighted the scheme to refurbish the A-listed bridge successfully secured funding and is nearing completion.

“The multi-million pound refurbishment programme has enhanced the local environment and restored the Grade A listed structure to its former glory.

“Thanks to the local community councils and residents who joined the campaign to improve the historic bridge – an architectural and engineering pride.”

Albert Bridge was the fifth bridge to be built at the site and the third road bridge built over the River Clyde in Glasgow when the population of the city in 1871 was 77,000.

The first bridge between Salmarket and Crown Street was washed away in a flood in 1795 before it was completed. The engineer of the third crossing was Robert Stevenson, the grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson. It was demolished in 1868

The present bridge has three arches, is 410ft long and 60ft wide. It opened in June 1871 at a cost of just over £62,000, was named after Prince Albert and gilded heads of the prince and Queen Victoria face the river on its four corners.

Elaine McDougall, the city council’s transport, environment and sustainability spokeswoman, said: “The restoration of Albert Bridge is progressing well and we hope to have the work completed by the end of June.

“It is a 145-year-old bridge of significant heritage importance. Restoring it back to reflect its original form has involved complete refurbishment of existing metalwork, restoring and repainting the Glasgow City and heraldic crests, replacing the parapets and installing new ornate electric lighting units to match as close as possible the original gas lamp standards which were a feature of the original construction.

“It is very exciting to see the work as it has progressed and I think the people of Glasgow will be pleasantly surprised when it is complete.”