Calls for repairs to ‘substandard’ bridges

Hundreds of “substandard” bridges on Scotland’s roads are in sore need of repair – with some partially collapsed.

Analysis by the RAC Foundation shows that at least 432 council-run bridges across the country were unable to carry the largest loads at the end of last year.

In Renfrewshire there is just one bridge out of a total of 240 that is substandard.

But £6 million is needed to complete repairs on county bridges.

In East Renfrewshire there are 245 bridges - and three of them are substandard.

A further 39 bridges managed by Transport Scotland were in a similar state of disrepair.

The RAC Foundation said problems with even small structures could cause delays for drivers forced to take longer routes.

A substandard bridge means one unable to carry the heaviest vehicles, including lorries of up to 44 tonnes.

Many of these will be subject to weight restrictions, while others could be under increased monitoring or managed decline.

The figures are based on responses to FOI requests by 30 of Scotland’s councils as well as the national transport body.

The council with the most substandard bridges was Aberdeenshire, at 77, which was 6 per cent of the 1,346 bridges under its control.

Some 23 councils said it would cost at least £403.5 million to complete the full maintenance backlog of all the 8,575 bridges in their areas.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said even the failure of the smallest bridges on Britain’s roads could still be a headache, causing disruption and potentially long diversions.

He said: “Whilst the increase in substandard bridges year-on-year is not huge the picture over the last five years looks more like flatlining than sustained improvement, and with the threat of more severe weather events linked to climate change, that must be a worry for the overall resilience of our highway network.”

A spokesman for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) said the safety of road users was a priority for all councils.

He said: “Wherever urgent maintenance is required, it will be done.

“However, financial constraints as well as a range of competing services are certainly starting to take their toll on routine work.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said:“The safety of drivers using our roads is our top priority and that is why the budget for maintenance of the trunk road network, including bridge maintenance, has increased from £65 million in 2016-17 to £102 million in 2021-22. There are no bridges on the Scottish Road Network out of use as a result of requiring repairs.”

Renfrewshire Council has been asked to identify the single below par bridge.