Skye Bridge

The Skye Bridge is a road bridge over Loch Alsh, connecting the mainland of Scotland with the Isle of Skye. It forms part of the A87. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 293 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 293 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... This article is about the edifice. ... Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country in northwest Europe, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ... The Old Man of Storr, Skye The Isle of Skye, usually known simply as Skye (Scottish Gaelic: An t-Eilean Sgiathanach) is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. ... The A87 is a major road in the Highland region of Scotland. ...

The shortest crossing between the mainland and the island (around 500 metres), the sound between the villages of Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland and Kyleakin on the island's east coast has traditionally been the most common route. A ferry operated services from around 1600, run by a number of private operators and latterly by Caledonian MacBrayne. Kyle of Lochalsh is a small village on the North-West coast of Scotland, which developed in the late 19th century with the arrival of the railway. ... Events January January 1 - Scotland adopts January 1st as being New Years Day February February 17 - Giordano Bruno burned in a stake for heresy July July 2 - Battle of Nieuwpoort: Dutch forces under Maurice of Nassau defeat Spanish forces under Archduke Albert in a battle on the coastal dunes. ... Caledonian MacBrayne (usually shortened to Cal-Mac) is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries between the mainland of Scotland and all major islands on Scotlands West coast. ...

With the construction of road and rail connections to Kyle of Lochalsh toward the end of the 19th century, various parties proposed the construction of a bridge to the island. Although the engineering task was well within the capability of the age (the crossing is shorter and shallower than that bridged by the Forth Bridge), the island's remote location and its small population meant the cost of a bridge could not be justified. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Forth Bridge, Edinburgh. ...

Increased prosperity in the islands, and a healthy summertime tourist traffic, led to ever increasing volumes of traffic queueing for the ferries, and brought renewed calls for the construction of a road bridge. In 1989 the government requested tenders to construct a toll bridge, with the contract being awarded to Miller-Dywidag, a Scottish/German construction consortium. The Miller-Dywidag proposal (designed in collaboration with civil engineering firm Arup) was for a single-span concrete arch supported by two piers resting on caissons in the loch. Construction began in 1992 and the bridge was opened on October 16, 1995. At this time the ferry service across the sound ceased, leaving the bridge the only year-round connection to the mainland. 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Paying toll on passing a bridge. ... Arup is a worldwide engineering and design company. ... A caisson is: In engineering, a retaining structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years). ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The first major capital project funded by the Private Finance Initiative, the bridge has been controversial since its construction was announced. In exchange for the contractors funding the bridge's construction themselves (rather than being paid to do so from the public exchequer) they were granted a licence to operate the bridge and charge travellers tolls. When the Bridge contract was first awarded, the partnership estimated it would cost around £15 million, although delays and design changes added significantly to the cost (to around £25 million, by the BBC's estimate). The Private Finance Initiative specifies a method by which the United Kingdom government provides financial support for public private partnerships known as Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) between the public and private sectors. ... The word toll has several meanings. ...

The tolls charged by the bridge concessionaire, Skye Bridge Ltd., proved to be particularly unpopular. Many Skye residents believed that, as the bridge is connected to the public road network, no toll should be charged. Although originally cheaper than the ferry it replaced, the bridge's tolls subsequently increased, and were said to be the highest in Europe - in 2004 a round trip for a car cost £11.40, fourteen times the round-trip price charged by the Forth Road Bridge (a crossing over twice the length). Opposition, led by local group Skye and Kyle Against Tolls (SKAT) and veteran campaigner Robbie the Pict, began with the opening of the bridge. This included mass protests and a prolonged non-payment campaign, and continued as long as the tolls. Numerous opponents were cited for refusing to pay the toll, with around 500 being arrested and 130 subsequently convicted of nonpayment. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Forth Road Bridge Forth Road Bridge The Forth Road Bridge is a road suspension bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, to the west of the Forth Bridge. ... Robbie the Pict (born Brian Robertson), is a Scottish nationalist. ...

The bridge, and the toll protest, became a continuing political issue, with Robbie the Pict running for MSP (unsuccessfully) partially on an anti-toll platform, and only the ruling Labour Party continuing to support the tolls. On June 3, 2004, Jim Wallace, the Enterprise Minister in the Scottish Executive announced that he hoped the bridge would be bought out, and tolls abolished, by the end of the 2004 [1] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3772871.stm). In line with this, on December 21, 2004, Scottish Transport Minister Nicol Stephen announced that the bridge had been purchased for approximately £27 million, and toll collection immediately ceased [2] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4112085.stm). During the preceding decade £33 million in tolls had been collected. Robbie the Pict (born Brian Robertson), is a Scottish nationalist. ... Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. ... A political platform is a list of the principles which a political party supports in order to appeal to the general public for the purpose of having said partys candidates voted into office. ... The Labour Party is a a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Right Honourable Jim Wallace QC (born August 25, 1954 in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway) is a Scottish politician, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats and Deputy First Minister of the Scottish Parliament. ... The Scottish Executive (Riaghaltas na h-Alba in Gaelic) is the executive arm of the Scottish Parliament. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Nicol Stephen (born 23 March 1960) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP and Minister for Transport in the Scottish Executive. ...

The topic is explored extensively in George Monbiot's book Captive State in which he examines the merits and demerits of Private Finance Initiatives extensively.

External links

• Skye Bridge homepage (http://www.skye-bridge.co.uk/)
• SKAT homepage (http://www.skat.org.uk/)
• Undiscovered Scotland's page on the bridge (http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/skye/bridge/)