Welcome as burst pipe road re-opens
Traffic is back on rural route
A west Stirlingshire road has finally reopened four months after it was forced to close following a massive rupture to a water pipe near the bridge there.
Ballochruin Road in Balfron had been shut back in September due to the repair work to the burst main.
But it finally re-opened at the weekend and welcomed its first traffic on Saturday.
A Scottish Water spokesperson last week told the Observer: “A stretch of Ballochruin Road which had to be closed to traffic following a burst on a 48-inch raw water pipe is scheduled to fully re-open Saturday, January 28.
“We would like to thank the local community and all road users for their patience and understanding during these emergency works.”
When the road closed last September, we told how it was the second time in less than a year that a burst had been identified there.
The latest breach of the pipe is close to the same location a leak occurred the previous year – sitting on the same pipe at a different section.
The section of pipe carries water supplies from Loch Katrine, near Aberfoyle, all the way to Glasgow.
Balfron Community Council chairman Colin Cameron welcomed the re-opening, saying: “We’re obviously relieved that the connections around the village are gradually being re-established.
“Now have wait for the completion of the Catterburn Bridge to get the diversions through Balfron lifted.”
The Catterburn Bridge at Croftamie has been closed since September 2021. The bridge, on the A809, shut after a section of the wall and pavement collapsed. The route has remained closed, from the B834 to the A811.
Last week, Scottish Water were also left dealing with another massive burst to the pipe that supplies water from Loch Katrine. The massive rupture occurred at Milngavie.
A massive burst occurred on Auchenhowie Road, with a 36-inch rupture causing huge damage to the road surface and affected water supplies to 100,000 properties across Glasgow.
Following a major excavation to remove the giant Victorian pipe, a new section has now been installed and work has begun to recharge this section of the network.
We’d like to thank the community for their patience