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After a fair bit of grid staring I think the 'link' must comprise the 'bridge', but to my mind that does not sit well with the preamble.

Son1... I thought it worked fine. The highlighting definitely links to Bridges (plural), the title.

3d I have an answer which means "prepared wool, say" but I just can't see the wordplay - Why Pluto quit: threw away?

Also,

16a Caught two short fellows....

I've got an unusual "Spenser" word meaning "to seize or grasp" but other than a common abbr. of a man's name as the last two letters and there's a male pronoun at the front but no real word joining them?

discarded - dis (pluto)

hank + ed

Brendan, 3 D - Dis is another name for Pluto, the underground, so take Dis off Discarded, threw away

Yep, thanks, I saw the great engineer just after i posted and realised my error.

Thanks Malone, thanks Buddy.

Actually, before I put this one away, can I get a parse for...

5d relating to smell of particular metal (5)

My answer is the "smell of a metal" which is basically the whole clue - so what is the cryptic bit?

15d Quickly circling (one might say) small woodland? (6)

My answer is a "small woodland"and i have S(mall) + a word meaning "quickly" but it's only partly reversed/circling?

osmic - double def relating to smell / of particular metal

spinny - punny double def (quickly circling = spinny - groan)