Kincardine Bridge

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The Kincardine Bridge on the River Forth.

A map of the bridge and the surrounding river from 1945

The Kincardine Bridge is a road bridge crossing the Firth of Forth from Falkirk council area to Kincardine-on-Forth, Fife, Scotland.

The bridge was constructed between 1932 and 1936, designed by Donald Watson. It was the first road crossing of the River Forth downstream of Stirling, completed nearly thirty years before the Forth Road Bridge, which stands fifteen miles to the south-east.

The bridge was constructed with a swinging central section, to allow larger ships to sail upstream to port in Alloa, which remained in use until 1988.

The bridge is part of the A876 road, and is a single lane each way. It is the common diversionary route for traffic north from Edinburgh and eastern Scotland when the Forth Bridge is closed or under repair. As a result the town of Kincardine is frequently congested.

The bridge, now nearing 70 years old, has been identified by the Scottish Executive as in need of replacement. A new Upper Forth Crossing is planned for construction by 2008. Despite this, the bridge has been given Category A listed status by Historic Scotland.