Council pledges to keep disruption ‘to a minimum’
Roads chiefs have revealed a major route into the city will have to be partially closed for at least a month next year.
Perth and Kinross Council says the search for a suitable contractor to place bollards along both footpaths across the Old Perth Bridge to prevent vehicles mounting its pavements is already underway.
And an application seeking listed building consent to alter the 18th century structure was filed a few weeks ago and is currently being processed by its planning team.
A supporting statement says the bridge, which carries the A85 as it weaves its way through Perth, is “generally in good condition” but its footways and supporting structures are deteriorating.
It says bollards need to be installed along its footways “to reduce the risk of vehicles mounting the footways and safeguard from a potential failure in the future”.
Asked when the work would begin a spokesperson said this week it is likely contractors will be on site sometime in March next year assuming consent for the scheme is granted.
The spokesperson went on to reveal the work will see the single carriageway crossing reduced to one lane for at least a month but insisted this would be done “out-with peak periods” so as to keep traffic disruption “to a minimum”.
“The results of a recent investigation and assessment of Old Perth Bridge has determined the requirement to install measures to reduce the risk of vehicles mounting the footway,” the spokesperson said.
“The current listed building consent application seeks to gain approval to place bollards at approximately 6.6m centres along the full length of both footways in order to meet the above requirement.
“This planning requirement is designed to ensure that the bollards will be installed in a manner sensitive to the historic nature of the structure.
“There has been a history of vehicles mounting the footways in the past with no damage to the structure so therefore engineering officers are satisfied that there is no urgent need to install bollards to safeguard the public.
“However, the findings of the assessment do require this to be satisfied in the medium term.
“Therefore, PKC is currently planning to install bollards in March 2019, which allows sufficient time to ensure that the correct planning considerations are accounted for.
Traffic is already an issue on the bridge
“PKC will endeavour to keep traffic disruption to a minimum by carrying out the bollard installation works on one footway at a time, with a single lane and adjacent footway being closed only out-with peak traffic periods.
“Timescales for the works are estimated to take four to five weeks.
“Signage will be erected on the approaches to the bridge in advance of the works to advise of any potential disruption asking bridge users to adjust their travel times accordingly.
“During the above works PKC will also undertake interim repairs to the footway surfacing.”