Drone footage gives bird's eye view of Glasgow's unusual looping access ramp to new M8 Sighthill bridge

The video by The Scotsman’s John Devlin provides a bird’s eye view of the Sighthill bridge which opened on March 24 to provide access for walkers, wheelers and cyclists between the city centre and a huge redevelopment site that includes new homes.

The city council described the link as a “key feature” of the £250 million Sighthill regeneration project – the biggest of its type in the UK outside London.

It said the rusty look of the bridge was due to the Cor-Ten steel [corrosion resistance-tensile strength] used which will cut maintenance costs and commemorates the area’s industrial past, which included a large chemical works.

The looping southern access ramp between the bridge and Baird Street. Picture: John Devlin

The southern access to the bridge from Baird Street features a gentle, 210m-long incline suitable for wheelchairs, whose hairpin bends are reminiscent of the far steeper Lombard Street in San Francisco.

The 74m-long, 1,000-tonne bridge, which features 800 trees and 10,000 plants, was jointly funded through the Glasgow City Region City Deal by the Scottish and UK governments, with support from Sustrans Scotland.

Its opening restores cycle links north of the motorway which were closed during the area’s redevelopment.

Karen McGregor, Scotland director at cycle path developers Sustrans, said: "The bridge not only provides a safe and accessible walking, wheeling, and cycling link across the M8 corridor, it also connects Sighthill residents with National Cycle Network route 754 along the Forth & Clyde Canal as well as amenities and wider active travel links in Glasgow city centre.”