Perth's 'transformative' Destiny Bridge and the New Kingsway open to public

The “transformative” Destiny Bridge and New Kingsway in Perth and Kinross has officially opened to the public after three years of construction.

The £150m project is meant to help reduce congestion and improve air quality in Perth city centre as well as providing an additional connection for travellers, commuters and residents.

It has been delivered both on time and on budget around three years after work first started.

On Monday, in an opening ceremony led by First Minister John Swinney, Perth and Kinross council leader Grant Laing, and Olympic medallist Eilidh Doyle, the bridge and roadway were hailed as a “fantastic” and “transformative” project for the county.

“It’s a great day for Perth and Kinross,” the First Minister told STV News.

“It opens up a new travel corridor which will ease congestion and improve air quality in Perth city, but it also opens up an active travel corridor for people in this community, which is a fantastically exciting proposition.”

The landmark infrastructure project includes the Destiny Bridge, which crosses the River Tay, and the New Kingsway, a 3.7-mile stretch of new carriageway. It also includes 1.2 miles of realigned dual carriageway on the A9 just north of Inveralmond roundabout.

It essentially connects people in east Perthshire with the west of the country and provides an additional River Tay crossing.

Lying in the heart of Swinney’s constituency, he said it would open up “much better access” for the area’s residents.

The project also includes a 12km active travel path network, connecting the neighbouring communities with Perth city centre.

The path network connects a central hub at a new Park-and-Choose area and incorporates a green bridge to separate active travel users and wildlife from the road.

Swinney said the new paths provide people with an alternative to driving. He said it will bring an “all around great benefit” to the region.

“I’m glad the Scottish Government has been able to be supportive financially of this project and it’s going to bring a lot of good benefits,” he added.

The Destiny Bridge and New Kingsway in Perth and Kinross opened to the public on Monday. Perth and Kinross Council

Cllr Laing said it’s the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken by Perth and Kinross Council.

He added: “The opening of Destiny Bridge and the New Kingsway marks a momentous achievement for all involved.”

He thanked both the project team and residents, particularly those in Stormontfield, Scone and Luncarty, for their patience and understanding during the build.

He also said the project will “definitely have an economic advantage”, opening up new business opportunities along the route.

“Instead of having to go through centre of Perth or rat run through other small villages, it’ll open it up and make it more accessible for everyone and will take traffic off the centre of Perth,” Cllr Laing said.

The Destiny Bridge and New Kingsway are key elements of the Perth Transport Futures infrastructure project, which links the A9, the A93, and the A94 by providing a crossing over the River Tay. The project is a major infrastructure upgrade programme to improve the road network around the city.