A historic road bridge over the River Deveron at Banff in Aberdeenshire is to undergo immediate scour remedial work to safeguard it from structural failure.
A historic road bridge in Aberdeenshire is to undergo immediate scour remedial work to safeguard it from structural failure. New Civil Engineer reports that Banff Bridge has been identified as at risk, and it has been closed to traffic since last November. It carries the A98 across the River Deveron at Banff in north east Scotland.
The present Banff Bridge was designed by John Smeaton and opened in 1779. It was subsequently widened in 1881, and comprises seven dressed stone arch rings. The River Deveron can be fast-flowing and unpredictable, and the previous bridge stood for only three years before it was washed away in 1768.
The elegant stone structure is Category A listed, and is being given a high priority for immediate safeguarding and scour prevention work at a cost of £3m. Another road bridge in the region, the Category B listed Aboyne Bridge over the River Dee, has been scheduled for immediate repairs due to concrete disintegration.
Aberdeenshire Council infrastructure services committee chair Alan Turner said: “There is no question that the management of our bridges requires very careful consideration and this workbank prioritisation programme does just that – providing clarity for the public to see which bridges require the most immediate interventions.”
Aberdeenshire Council infrastructure services vice-chair Isobel Davidson said: “Given the significant budget restrictions we, as council, face each year to undertake replacements and improvements to the network, the efforts of our small yet dedicated bridges team to safeguard so many structures with the limited funding we can provide must be applauded.”
“Only through a prioritisation programme such as this will we be able to track the condition of our bridges and the urgency with which repairs have to be made.”
The publication reports that Aberdeenshire Council currently has 111 bridges under its management that are in need of replacement or major refurbishment.