Bridge needs urgent repairs

A DAILY user of Connel Bridge has raised concerns about its future if remedial action is not taken urgently.

But roads maintenance operator BEAR Scotland said it has the matter in hand and is planning to make a major investment in the bridge’s deck.

Claiming it is 14 years since the bridge was painted, to celebrate its centenary, the almost daily knocks and bumps from vehicles too high or too wide for the bridge are taking a toll.

John Campbell, from Ardchattan, said: ‘The condition of Connel Bridge has to be brought to the fore. It is now 14 years since the bridge was repainted for its centenary, in 2003, and it is badly needing painted again.’

Mr Campbell, an agricultural consultant added: ‘[It is clear that] particularly the underside of the bridge needs painted, which is very rusty now. Bearing in mind how long it takes Transport Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council to get round to major jobs like this, we need to start the process soon, to get it painted before it gets any worse.

‘We have to look after this vital structure.’

Repairs to upgrade traffic signalling equipment on Connel Bridge took place over five nights in May 2015, and later the same year the southern approach to the bridge benefited from £85,000 of surface works.

Connel Bridge is a 2,600-ton steel-built cantilever bridge completed in August 1903. The Oban Times’s archives show that there have been at least two closures a year due to a high-sided or wideload vehicle hitting the side of the bridge.

The bridge is part of the trunk road network and is managed by BEAR Scotland on behalf of Tranport Scotland.

A spokesperson for BEAR Scotland said: ‘Connel Bridge is inspected for safety every three months, with more extensive and detailed inspections taking place annually and two-yearly.

‘The next annual inspection is scheduled for next week and will take two weeks to complete.’

Bridge inspectors using rope access will check the structural condition of the bridge components and highlight any repair work needed. ‘In the past year we have carried out a feasibility study to consider options to carry out a deck replacement scheme on the bridge and preliminary designs are due to get under way in the coming months.

‘The programme for this work will depend on budget availability and full consultation with all stakeholders will be carried out during the later design stages.

‘It is anticipated that much of the work will be undertaken overnight to minimise traffic disruption.’