New Criche Bridge near Glenfinnan opens
THE NEWLY-BUILT Criche Bridge, near Glenfinnan, has opened to traffic along the scenic A830 following 10 months of construction.
The bridge is the sixth structure to be replaced on the route in the past four years following a commitment from Transport Scotland to improve road safety.
The new bridge, approximately eight miles west of Glenfinnan, was built using stone from the old bridge incorporated into the new design to ensure the bridge was in keeping with its scenic surroundings.
A disused masonry arch bridge, adjacent to the carriageway, was demolished as part of the work to allow for the wider new structure.
Stone from the old bridge was used to build a new habitat for bats displaced during the demolition. The project had minimal impact on the environment and surrounding wildlife.
The new structure and approaches provide a wider carriageway and verges, improved alignment and stronger parapets.
Its low maintenance design will help ensure the structure continues to function safely for years to come.
Criche Bridge follows work at Dearg Bridge in December 2014, Utha and Garbh Bridges at the end of 2015 and Arieniskill and Ranochan bridges in early 2017.
Commenting on the opening of Criche Bridge, Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s North West Representative, said: ‘As with the previous bridges, we’ve made sure to limit any impact to motorists as much as possible by constructing a temporary bridge to ensure access on the A830 was maintained at all times.
‘We also recycled some of the stone from the old bridge into the new design to make sure it fits in with the surrounding area.
‘We hope the local community will be pleased with the new bridge at Criche and we thank them for their patience over the last 10 months.’
The next project is at Shlatach Rail Bridge in Glenfinnan towards the end of 2018.