Harry is spot on over road closure

I totally agree with Harry Turnbull, director and founder of Stirling Stone, (Observer, October 25, 2017) that the ‘planned’ disruption to traffic due to replacing the Kerse Road railway bridge next year is both unacceptable and unnecessary. Everything about it reeks of another Edinburgh-TramType disaster.

As I have previously said in your paper (with an illustration), the main line railway bridge in Stafford was replaced during just one weekend. The trains could not be stopped for longer. All it takes is meticulous planning by a reputable firm of international-calibre consulting engineers.

During my career with Weirs installing and modernising major water supply schemes, both at home and throughout the world, we worked with many firms of British and overseas consultants to enhance water supplies without once cutting off the customers.

What a furore there would have been if we had left London, Belfast or even Wolverhampton, for example, without any water.

I also recall reading that Stirling Council had offered to help finance the new bridge with ratepayers’ money. Am I wrong in believing that, when the railways were nationalised, total responsibility for all bridges was passed to the railways? Stirling Council has more than enough work to do on its own transport infrastructure, without giving the railways a Christmas bonus.

A Maxwell-Irving, Chartered engineer (retired) Blairlogie