Aberfeldy Footbridge - Perth & Kinross, Scotland
Posted by: 
creg-ny-baa
N 56° 37.521 W 003° 52.230
30V E 446589 N 6276021
The world's first and longest all plastic footbridge, constructed over the River Tay to initially link both sides of the golf course at Aberfeldy in Perthshire.
Waymark Code: WM18KJA
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/18/2023
Views: 1
This footbridge crosses the River Tay near the Perthshire town of Aberfeldy, initially designed to link the recently extended golf course to both sides of the river, but now in use for walkers on the riverside pathways.
When Aberfeldy Golf Club extended their course from 9 to 18 holes by acquiring land on the opposite side of the River Tay, a footbridge had to be built to link both sides, with the new holes 6-13 now on the opposite bank.
The bridge was designed in 1992 by Bill Harvey of Dundee University Civil Engineering Department, who combined with Maunsell Structural Plastics Ltd. to produce the world's first bridge constructed entirely of plastic.
With a 206 feet span over the river and 82 feet spans over the flood plain on both sides, the bridge weighs in at 14.5 tons. The bridge is a three-span cable-stay structure with 17 metre tall A-frames. Its main elements are made of fibre-reinforced plastic, with glass-reinforced plastic used in the deck and towers. The parapets are of pultruded GRP sections, and the cables are of kevlar inside a protective plastic coating.
When the holes on the opposite side of the river were abandoned due to flooding problems, the course reverted back to nine holes and the bridge was closed in 2017. The community rallied round however, and the following year, after repairs, the bridge reopened to walkers using the riverside paths on both sides of the river. Users are reminded by signage however to do so at their own risk, as the bridge can wobble alarmingly at its centre if overloaded.