Glasgow Smartie Tube Bridge At SEC Slated for a Facelift
From our departure dock near the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, our staff and guests have a clear view of the iconic, tube-shaped footbridge affectionately known as the Smartie Tube. The Smartie Tube has been part of the city centre landscape for quite some time. It is used by untold numbers of visitors to the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) on the north side of the River Clyde. We are happy to learn that the bridge is scheduled to receive a significant facelift.
STV News recently reported that Glasgow City Council has agreed to provide a significant financial grant to redevelop the footbridge. An initial grant of £660,000 was approved for the purposes of doing a feasibility study, lining up a design, and finding a contractor to do the work. More importantly, a larger development project for the entire SEC area rests on completion of the bridge facelift.
As we understand it, the city will invest £4.3 million to revitalise the SEC as part of a larger £114 million package slated to enhance multiple areas along the River Clyde. The city is investing in the area in order to develop the waterfront more fully. Officials hope the development will attract more tourism and business, as well as improving the quality of life for local residents.
It’s All Good for Us
We appreciate the fact that the council is willing to invest in River Clyde development. Here at Clyde Cruises, we have been making our living on the river for generations. All development is, from our perspective, good for business. But not just for us. A healthy waterfront district is good for hundreds of business owners who operate restaurants, shops, bars and more, along the shores of the river.
If you’ve ever wanted to see what the waterfront has to offer, you should consider booking one of our cruises. We cruise up and down the River Clyde every day during the peak season, seeing the most important sites and talking about the things that make our city work. A Clyde cruise along the river is unlike anything you will experience anywhere else.
While work is going on over at the Smartie Tube, our guests will get to see some of the most iconic bridges spanning the River Clyde. In fact, the bridges are the highlight of our river tours for many of our guests. Bridges are an important part of the city’s history that can date back hundreds of years. They tell a story of city development with a unique architecture and design that show the different stages of growth in Glasgow.
We look forward to the completion of the Smartie Tube project at some point in the future. When it’s done, it will pave the way for tremendous development in the SEC area as well as the entire waterfront district. It is all good for us. You can be a part of what is going on down here by joining Clyde Cruises on the river this spring and summer.
Sources:
STV News – https://stv.tv/news/west-central/1382091-red-footbridge-at-glasgow-sec-to-undergo-5m-upgrade/