M8 Bridge to Nowhere

Last updated

Bridge to Nowhere is a nickname used to refer to various unfinished structures around the M8 motorway in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. They were built in the 1960s as part of the Glasgow Inner Ring Road project but left incomplete for several years. One "bridge", at Charing Cross, was completed in the 1990s as an office block. The Anderston Footbridge, a pedestrian bridge south of St Patrick's church, was finally completed in 2013 as part of a walking and cycling route. [1]

Contents

A third "Bridge to Nowhere" was created in 2008 following the demolition of a hotel a few blocks away from the M8 but its remains were finally removed in 2017.

Charing Cross Podium

The Charing Cross Podium with Tay House built on the structure Wfm m8 bridge to nowhere.jpg
The Charing Cross Podium with Tay House built on the structure

The structure officially called the Charing Cross Podium was always intended to have a development of some sort on the top level. However, the incomplete structure looked like a bridge and was often referred to as the 'Bridge to Nowhere'. When the western flank of the inner ring road was being prepared for tender in the mid-1960s the designer, Scott Wilson & Partners, advised Glasgow Corporation to include the development as part of the motorway construction contract. The Corporation ignored this advice, hoping that a developer would take on the project, along with its cost. The original masterplan for the area was devised by the London architectural firm R. Seifert Company and Partnership, which entailed the construction of two large mixed use commercial complexes in the area: which became the Anderston Centre, and the Charing Cross Complex - part of the latter would be built on the podium structure. [2] In the end, the Charing Cross scheme was pruned back in ambition, leaving the podium unused for over two decades, [3] attracting notoriety at a time when the entire M8 construction project was the subject of very divided public opinion.

The podium, and the adjacent land on Bath Street, were developed in the early 1990s by Malcolm Potier's Tanap Investments. Tay House (300 Bath Street), a salmon pink 160,000-square-foot (15,000-square-metre) office building, was completed in 1992 and a section of the building was built atop the podium. It was later owned by Handelsbanken, MEPC, and now by commercial property company Regional REIT. [4] [5] [6]

Former tenants include the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. [7] It is rented to Barclays Stockbrokers, [8] the University of Glasgow, [8] and serviced-office company Regus. [9]

In 2022, Barclays completed the move of its Glasgow operations out of Tay House to its new purpose built campus [10] in the Buchanan Wharf development in Tradeston, south of the River Clyde, thus leaving the building redundant. In August 2023, the owner of the building - London and Scottish Property Investments (L&SPI) - announced the Charing Cross Masterplan in conjunction with Glasgow City Council. [11] The plans entail the partial demolition of Tay House, including the podium structure as part of plans to create a raised garden over the M8 "trench", thus recreating a public space joining the city centre to the West End. The plans also entail the construction of a number of new office developments, and most notably - high rise student accommodation towers.

Anderston Footbridge

The Anderston Pedestrian Footbridge, looking east, shown following its completion in 2013, with the Anderston Centre tower blocks, Glasgow Marriott and the Argyle Building in the background Anderston Pedestrian Bridge.jpg
The Anderston Pedestrian Footbridge, looking east, shown following its completion in 2013, with the Anderston Centre tower blocks, Glasgow Marriott and the Argyle Building in the background

The Anderston Footbridge, 600 metres (650 yards) south of the Charing Cross Podium, was originally planned as the main pedestrian connection between the new housing estates on the western side of the motorway to the Anderston Centre but similar to what happened at Charing Cross, the new development was scaled back in size – meaning that the bridge terminated in mid-air above the vacant land, which was eventually built upon in 1981 when a Holiday Inn hotel (nowadays the Glasgow Marriott) was constructed on the site.

Architect's model from the 1960s of the uncompleted section of the Anderston Centre and the M8 Motorway showing the intended course of the bridge. The red circle shows where the bridge construction was abandoned. The present day Marriott and Hilton hotels now stand on this site. Bridge to Nowhere Model.jpg
Architect's model from the 1960s of the uncompleted section of the Anderston Centre and the M8 Motorway showing the intended course of the bridge. The red circle shows where the bridge construction was abandoned. The present day Marriott and Hilton hotels now stand on this site.

As a highly visible structure, it assumed the title of 'Bridge to Nowhere' from the Charing Cross Podium after that was built on and lost its bridge-like appearance.

A proposal by charity Sustrans, under their national Connect2 programme, aimed to finish the construction, as well as connecting the bridge with a second one over the Clydeside Expressway. This should increase pedestrian and cycle access to central Glasgow on a route between Kelvingrove Park and the city centre. Sustrans won the funding in September 2011 – work to finally complete the bridge began in 2012 and was completed by July 2013. [12] [1]

The third bridge

Glasgow gained a third "Bridge to Nowhere" in 2008 on a street a few hundred metres to the east of the Anderston Footbridge. The former Albany Hotel was demolished leaving the pedestrian bridge, connecting it to the adjacent Anderston Centre, terminating in mid air over Bishop Lane at the end of Waterloo Street. The hotel was controversially razed [13] in preparation for a new complex called Bothwell Plaza. The hotel development received planning permission in 2009 [14] but remained unbuilt until 2016, when it was reimagined as an office complex called Bothwell Exchange. The remains of the bridge were removed in 2017 when construction on this scheme started.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M8 motorway (Scotland)</span> Busiest motorway in Scotland

The M8 is the busiest motorway in Scotland. It connects the country's two largest cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and serves other large communities including Airdrie, Coatbridge, Greenock, Livingston and Paisley. The motorway is 60 miles (97 km) long. A major construction project to build the final section between Newhouse and Baillieston was completed on 30 April 2017. The motorway has one service station, Heart of Scotland Services, previously named Harthill due to its proximity to the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A74(M) and M74 motorways</span> Major motorway in Scotland

The A74(M) and M74 form a major motorway in Scotland, connecting it to England. The routes connect the M8 motorway in central Glasgow to the Scottish-English border at Gretna. They are part of the unsigned international E-road network E05. Although the entire route is colloquially referred to as the M74, for more than half its length, south of Abington, the road is officially the A74(M); see naming confusion below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston Bridge, Glasgow</span> Bridge in Glasgow, Scotland

The Kingston Bridge is a balanced cantilever dual-span ten lane road bridge made of triple-cell segmented prestressed concrete box girders crossing the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Glasgow</span> Overview of transport in Glasgow

The city of Glasgow, Scotland, has a transport system encompassing air, rail, road and an underground light metro line. Prior to 1962, the city was also served by trams. Commuters travelling into Glasgow from the neighbouring local authorities of North and South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, and East and West Dunbartonshire have a major influence on travel patterns, with tens of thousands of residents commuting into the city each day. The most popular mode of transport in the city is the car, used by two-thirds of people for journeys around the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderston railway station</span> Railway station in Glasgow, Scotland

Anderston railway station serves Glasgow's financial district of Anderston and, across the M8 motorway, the housing schemes of both Anderston West and the Blythswood Court estate of the Anderston Centre. It is also close to both the Hilton and Marriott hotels. It is a staffed station with an island platform and most of it is underground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow Inner Ring Road</span> Proposed road in Glasgow, Scotland, UK

The Glasgow Inner Ring Road is a partially completed ring road encircling the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Construction of the roads began in 1965, and half of its circumference was completed by 1972 - forming part of the wider M8 motorway, but no further construction was made and the remaining plans were formally abandoned in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart of Scotland services</span> M8 services in North Lanarkshire, Scotland

Heart of Scotland services, commonly referred to as Harthill services, is a motorway service station on the M8 motorway between junctions 4a & 5, at Harthill, in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is owned by Transport Scotland and is leased to BP. It used to be leased to RoadChef. The Service Station is the only one on the M8 Motorway, and can be busy, especially at peak times.

The Bruce Report is the name commonly given to the First Planning Report to the Highways and Planning Committee of the Corporation of the City of Glasgow published in March 1945. It influenced an intensive programme of regeneration and rebuilding efforts which took place in the city and surroundings from the mid-1950s and lasted until the late 1970s. The author was Robert Bruce, Glasgow Corporation Engineer at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charing Cross, Glasgow</span> Road junction in Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Charing Cross is a major road junction and area within the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated north of the River Clyde at the intersection of Sauchiehall Street, St George's Road, Woodlands Road, North Street and Newton Street, as well as being at a major interchange of the M8 motorway. Charing Cross marks the notional boundary between the City Centre and the West End of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Financial Services District</span> Financial district in Glasgow, Scotland

The International Financial Services District (IFSD) is a financial district in the city of Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. Nicknamed "Wall Street on the Clyde", it ranked in the top 40 of international financial districts, ahead of cities including Brussels, Madrid, Helsinki, Milan and Dublin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A725 road</span> Road in Scotland

The A725 road in Scotland is a major route which is a trunk road dual carriageway for almost its whole length, connecting several of the large towns of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire, linking the M8 and M74 motorways; it has been upgraded frequently since its construction, with the most recent major work completed in 2017. In combination with the A726 road which meets the M77 motorway, it forms a southern and eastern bypass for the city of Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A726 road</span> Road in Scotland

The A726 road in Scotland is a major route with several distinct sections with different characteristics and names; owing to its stages of construction, since 2005 it has two separate parts, the first running between Strathaven in South Lanarkshire and Junction 5 of the M77 motorway south of Newton Mearns in East Renfrewshire via East Kilbride, and the other running between Junction 3 of the M77 and the M898 motorway near the Erskine Bridge, via Paisley and Junction 29 of the M8 motorway near Glasgow International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argyle Street, Glasgow</span> Thoroughfare in Glasgow

Argyle Street is a major thoroughfare in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.

NCR 756 is a National Cycle route in Glasgow and South Lanarkshire that runs eight miles from Kelvindale to East Kilbride. It opened in 2009 following four years of construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderston Centre</span> Skyscraper in Glasgow City, Scotland, UK

The Anderston Centre is a mixed-use commercial and residential complex, and former bus station located in the Anderston area of Glasgow, Scotland. Completed in 1972 and designed by Richard Seifert, it is one of the earliest examples of the "megastructure" style of urban renewal scheme fashionable in the 1950s and 1960s - the other notable example in Scotland being the infamous Cumbernauld Town Centre development. The complex is a notable landmark on the western edge of Glasgow city centre, and is highly visible from the adjacent Kingston Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argyle Building, Glasgow</span> Residential building

The Argyle Building is a mid-rise residential building in the Anderston district within the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Started in 2005 and completed in 2008, it is among the highest buildings currently standing within the city's central area and occupies a prominent spot next to the Kingston Bridge and the M8 motorway. It can be seen prominently in the background of BBC Scotland television news bulletins.

North Street is a street in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The street was formerly known as Lang Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmbank Gardens</span> Offices (1972-92), Hotel (1995-present) in Glasgow, Scotland

Elmbank Gardens is a multi-use commercial complex in the Charing Cross area of Glasgow, Scotland. Best known for its signature 13-storey tower which overlooks the M8 motorway and stands directly opposite the Mitchell Library, it was designed by Richard Seifert and constructed between 1970 and 1972. It is one of the tallest and most prominent high rise buildings on the western side of Glasgow city centre, beyond Blythswood Hill. The surface buildings of the subterranean railway station which serves Charing Cross are also an integral part of the complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auchenshuggle Bridge</span>

Auchenshuggle Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. The Auchenshuggle Bridge is the latest bridge to be built over the Clyde in the Auchenshuggle district of Glasgow, carrying the M74 motorway over the river and onto land which is part of Clydebridge Steelworks in Rutherglen, en route to the M8 junction near the heavily congested Kingston Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandyford, Glasgow</span> Area of Glasgow, Scotland

Sandyford is an area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is north of the River Clyde and forms part of the western periphery of the city centre. Formerly the name of a ward under Glasgow Town Council in the first part of the 20th century, it is within a continuous area of fairly dense urban development bordering several other neighbourhoods whose mutual boundaries have blurred over time, and is possibly less well known than all of the places which adjoin it, particularly Anderston and Finnieston.

References

  1. 1 2 "Glasgow's 'Bridge to Nowhere' finally completed". BBC News. 7 July 2013.
  2. ↑ Williamson; Riches; Higgs (1990). Glasgow. Yale University Press. p. 214. ISBN   9780300096743.
  3. ↑ "Glasgow's unbuilt Inner Ring Road". The Scotsman . 23 January 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Tay House sold to MEPC in £22.8m deal". The Herald . 20 December 1997.
  5. ↑ Swindon, Peter (30 November 2015). "£2m overhaul of iconic offices over the M8 motorway in Glasgow". Glasgow Times .
  6. ↑ Williams, Craig (5 February 2020). "10 eyesore buildings in Glasgow that we all love to hate". GlasgowLive. Reach plc.
  7. ↑ "Tenants for Tay House". The Herald . 16 November 1995.
  8. 1 2 "Tay House - staff handbook" (PDF). University of Glasgow. 29 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "Glasgow, Charing Cross". Regus. IWG plc. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  10. ↑ "Barclays unveils state-of-the-art campus in Glasgow". Barclays Wealth.
  11. ↑ "CONSULTATION Starts On £250million 'Charing Cross Gateway' Transformation". reGlasgow. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Stewart-Robertson, Tristan (1 September 2011). "Exclusive: M8 'Bridge To Nowhere' To Be Finished". The Glaswegian. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  13. ↑ "The end for 'The Albany' as 150 face axe at city hotel". Evening Times . 17 January 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  14. ↑ "Bothwell Plaza rises again". Urban Realm. 10 February 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.