One of Scotland's most iconic bridges was Thursday awarded the highest architectural honor. The Erskine Bridge has been recognised by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

The bridge, which opened in 1972, is one of Scotland's most architecturally and technically designed bridges of the post-war period.

It has the longest cable-stayed span of its type in the world and is one of only three bridges in Scotland with a main span exceeding 300 meters.

The decision came after the public was asked for its views about the bridge.

Elizabeth McCrone, head of Designations at HES, said: "The Erskine Bridge is a state-of-the-art infrastructure landmark in Scotland for its time and is recognised for its structural simplicity, economy of materials and slender appearance.

"Spanning the River Clyde, the bridge was part of a highly ambitious expansion of the new motorway network in Scotland, and is directly associated with the period of ambitious transformation of Scotland's modern infrastructure in the 1960s."

McCrone said the minimalistic single-cable design of the bridge, which is exceptionally rare for a large-scale road bridge, combined with its largely unchanged appearance to make it one of the Scotland's most innovative bridges of the 20th century.