The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Demolition of old railway bridge in town completed
Long-running work to replace a railway bridge in the centre of a Highland town hit a major milestone this weekend.
Contractors have been carrying out the demolition of the old crossing in Muir of Ord.
It is part of work to instal a new £3.3million bridge, carrying the A862 Great North Road over the Inverness to Dingwall railway line.
The old bridge was reduced
“We would like to thank the community for their cooperation”
to one lane controlled by traffic lights because of concerns about its stability.
Work on the new bridge began late in 2015 and Highland Council said they areoncourse tohave it fully completed in early June.
Traffic was introduced to the new bridge earlier this month – paving the way for its predecessor to be removed.
The demolition was carried out by specialist contractor George Leslie Ltd, based in Barrhead near Glasgow.
The first phase of work was carried out between 2.30am and 7.30am on Sunday morning with the contractors removing around two-thirds of the structure.
The remainder of the bridge was due to come down last night.
The contractor confirmed yesterday that work had progressed “as programmed”.
A spokeswoman for Highland Council said that work was on track for completion in the summer.
She said:“Work to complete the adjacent footpaths and roadworks including fencing, new street lighting, signs and landscaping are underway with all works expected to be completed by early June.
“The Highland Council would like to take this opportunity to thank the community and all road users using the route for their co-operation during the works.”
The new crossing has previously been hailed as “vital” for the long-term future of Muir of Ord.
The single lane arrangement on the old bridge previously caused delays for traffic passing through the centre of Muir of Ord.
The road provides a link between Beauly and Inverness on one side of the railway and Conon Bridge and Dingwall on the other.