Troubled bridge over River Isla to get £1.1m fix
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A £1.1 MILLION maintenance project for the A96 Keith-Dufftown rail bridge which carries the trunk road across the heritage railway line will get under way next week.
The project will involve replacing the existing parapets on the bridge, as well as structural strengthening of the edge beams, verges and abutments of the structure. This will help ensure that the bridge remains in a safe working condition for years to come.
As the maintenance work involves working beneath the bridge deck, the project has been planned to take place outwith the operating months of the popular Keith-Dufftown Whisky Line heritage railway to ensure disruption to the train timetable is avoided.
The project is being programmed across two phases to ensure it can be done with the least amount of disruption to the heritage line as well as to road users. Isla
The first phase will begin on Wednesday, September 26 and is expected to last until Friday, December 21, with the second phase beginning again on Monday, January 14 and continuing until Friday, March 22. This phasing of the project ensures that the heritage railway can return to its usual festive service in December and January with no impact from the maintenance project, as well as ensuring there is minimal disruption on the A96 for road users during the festive season.
The A96 will remain open throughout the project, however to keep roadworkers as well as motorists safe during the improvements, a temporary safety barrier will be erected, and temporary traffic lights will be in use continuously throughout the project.
Consultation has been carried out with all relevant stakeholders, including local residents, hauliers, local businesses and the local authority to inform them of the project in advance.
Commenting on the project, Andy Thompson, Bear Scotland's North East Representative, said: "The £1.1m project for the Keith-Dufftown Railway Bridge will ensure the A96 continues to function safely as it crosses over the heritage railway line for years to come.
"As our engineers need access underneath the bridge deck, we've programmed the work to take place around the busy heritage timetable which operates during the summer months and the festive period only, meaning minimal disruption to the rail line.
"To keep everyone safe during the project temporary traffic lights are required on the bridge continuously, however our teams will do all they can to minimise any impact by manually operating the lights during peak times if required.
"We'll work to complete the project as quickly and safely as possible, and we encourage all road users to leave some extra time to complete their journeys and plan ahead by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up to date journey times."
Real-time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland on www.trafficscotland.org, Twitter or the new mobile site, my.trafficscotland.org.
