A Reinforced Plastic Footbridge, Aberfeldy, UK

The Aberfeldy Footbridge is an innovative application of new structural materials and techniques. Its successful completion may open the way to wider use of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) structural elements in bridge construction. The Aberfeldy Footbridge has been designed and built entirely of modern composite materials. Its costs and behaviour are comparable to a lightweight steel bridge which, however, would have been much heavier and which could not have been fabricated on site. Applicability to environmentally sensitive locations, remote terrain and to work forces with limited skills all suggest a bright future for the techniques demonstrated by this bridge.