Officially opened on Friday morning, the Govan-Partick footbridge has been hailed as a “bridge to better opportunities.”

The bridge, which crosses the Clyde between the Riverside Museum and Water Row, cost more than £29 million pounds to build. Spanning 110 metres, it is one of the longest pedestrian/cycle bridges in Europe.

Government ministers and local school children say the bridge will connect people living in Govan to the north side of the city, and vice versa. It will also provide a direct route for students travelling between the University of Glasgow's Gilmorehill campus and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Originally meant to be opened three years ago, the project faced several delays before finally getting off the ground in April 2022. The bridge was constructed as part of the Glasgow City Region Deal, which will see a billion pounds contributed by the UK and Scottish governments to benefit infrastructure projects.

Pupils from Notre Dame primary school in Dowanhill and Riverside primary school in Govan were on hand to mark the opening of the bridge.

Murdo, a pupil from Notre Dame, said: “I think it's going to be good…If you're at the University, you can go over and see your parents.”

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Erin, another student from Notre Dame, added: “I think the bridge will open up new opportunities for people on the Govan side, especially for schools, as there's loads of free museums on the Partick and West End side.

“It will also link the hospital and the University together.”

Government ministers also praised the construction of the bridge, Tom Arthur, Scottish Government Minister for Employment and Investment, told The Herald: “It's great to see the bridge open. It's something that will be a great asset for the local area, linking the two [communities] together. It will have a really positive impact on jobs and the economy.”

Kirsty McNeil, the UK Government Minister for Scotland, added: “The UK government is incredibly committed to resetting our relationship with the Scottish Government, but also Scottish stakeholders more widely, including local government.”

“The really exciting thing about this bridge is that not only will it be a boost for the economy, but also, it will make a huge difference to people. It will connect Glaswegians like never before.”

The new footbridge has officially openedThe new footbridge has officially opened (Image: Colin Mearns/Herald)

Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, said that the bridge would be a “great change” for the area.

She remarked: “There was a crossing here for a very long time, and Govan was connected to the north of the city, and indeed beyond… But for the past few decades there hasn’t been.

“As a consequence, Govan has become a bit cut off and a bit isolated, and that has certainly not helped the quite deeply embedded multiple deprivation and poverty in a community like Govan.

“For me, what is really important about a piece of infrastructure investment like this is that it is a bridge to better places and better lives and better opportunities in communities in Glasgow that were left behind by industrialisation and are still living with the legacy of that.”

To celebrate the opening of the site, several community events will take place on either side of the bridge this weekend. The Clydebuilt Festival will be held on September 7th and 8th on the river’s north bank, while the Footbridge Festival is set to take place on September 7th on the south bank.

The bridge will officially open to the public tomorrow morning.