City bridge to close nightly for five weeks as part of bollard plan

A fresh attempt to install cast iron bollards on the historic Perth Bridge will get under way tonight.

The 18th Century River Tay crossing, sometimes known as Smeaton’s Bridge, will close from 7pm to 1am each night for the next five weeks.

Perth and Kinross Council say the £75,000 bollards plan – which will stop cars mounting the pavement – will help safeguard the historic structure.

It will be the third time this year that the crossing has been closed, or partly closed, for construction. It was shut down for two weeks in May as part of a first attempt to install the metal posts. But the work was abandoned when crews found the depths below the pavement “were not as drawings of the bridge had led us to believe”.

The bridge recently reopened after an eight-week programme to install new lights.

Glasgow-based Diack and Macaulay won the contract for the bollard installation scheme.

During construction, all traffic heading into the city will be redirected along Gowrie Street, Dundee Road and over Queen’s Bridge on to Tay Street.

The local authority has secured two Listed Building Consent applications for the work.

In a report to councillors, a planning spokesman said: “A recent survey of the bridge structure has concluded that the footway structure is sub-standard for the current permitted levels of loading.”

He said the bollards would “safeguard against potential failure in the future”.

The local authority bought 64 bollards for the project, but has so far declined to say how much it paid for them.