Fresh plea over old bridge

Transport: Fears vital and historic structure will collapse without protection

Fresh calls have been made to safeguard an 18th century bridge before it collapses after it was damaged by passing traffic.

The grade 1 listed Gairnshiel Bridge on the A939 Tomintoul-Ballater road has been classed as weak and has had a temporary 18-tonne weight limit in place since December.

Earlier this month, Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside Councillor Geva Blackett raised concerns heavy goods lorries are still going over the bridge because they are following their satnav.

Now Ms Blackett has highlighted further damage to the structure, with a number of supporting stones now falling off the side.

Last night, she made a fresh appeal to the council to intervene and build an adjacent “functional bridge” for cars and lorries to use. She said: “We want the tourists to use the road, we need the lorries and the cars to come, but the bridge doesn’t.”

She added: “I have had responses from the council where they say they are going to carry out temporary repairs, but that’s just a sticking plaster.

“They need to make a long-term decision about this route, if you are there when a heavy goods vehicle goes over it, it makes an horrendous noise.

“It’s such an historically important bridge and it’s vital to the livelihoods of local people,” she added.

Aberdeenshire Council's bridges and structures manager, Donald Macpherson, said: “We are regularly monitoring the structural condition of the bridge and are presently determining remedial options and appropriate timescales, but there are no firm plans for any works to take place.

“In the meantime, there is an 18-tonne vehicle weight restriction in place on this bridge and we would urge all affected drivers to observe this, use the clearly-signed diversion route if necessary and respect this historic bridge."

The bridge was created in 1753 to form part of the Old Military Road, which connected Blairgowrie and Fort George, following the Jacobite Uprising eight years earlier.

“Need to make a long-term decision about this route”

DAMAGED: The Lonach Highlanders in procession over Gairnshiel Bridge on the A939, back in 2015, reflecting its historical role in the north-east’s infrastructure