<p>View from Anderson Street on the west bank, downstream of the viaduct. The housiing visible under the bridge is recently built, replacing old (former harbour-related) structures and very old housing.
</p><p>Running parallel and only about 80 years apart, the "Black Bridge" (Waterloo Bridge) and the "Railway Bridge" (Ness Viaduct) have stood together as the furthest downstream bridges over the River Ness since 1862, when the first Railway Viaduct was opened. 
</p><p>The original "Black Bridge" (road bridge) was opened in 1808 and was so named because it was constructed of extremely dark wood. Although it was replaced in 1898 by the current grey lattice-girder structure, it has always been - and always will be - the "Black Bridge" to locals. The 1896 bridge was built at Rose Street Foundry in Inverness.
</p><p>The first railway bridge was built in 1862 to carry the rail lines to Dingwall and points north and west thereof, extending the UK railway network north of Inverness. 
</p><p>The bridge also had an arch over the roadway at either side of the river.
</p><p>That bonny stone-built five-arch structure  was swept by the floods of February 1989, due to the bases of the piers of the bridge arches being scoured by the force of water. It was thought that it would not be replaced, which would have been the death-knell of the 231 miles of railway north of Inverness but thankfully sense prevailed and a new steel-beam bridge opened in 1990.
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Both bridges lie just upstream of the old Harbour of Inverness (which was served until the 1990s by a branch railway line from Inverness Station). That harbour remains in limited use but most shipping activity now takes place at the New Harbour at the mouth of the River, half a mile downstream.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/91779914@N00">Dave Conner</a> from Inverness, Scotland
CC BY 2.0
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/conner395/6238602521/">Ness Viaduct Railway Bridge over River Ness Inverness Scotland</a>