Last month, Dumfries and Galloway Council committed £75,000 for the recovery of the Cuthbertson Memorial and Diamond Jubilee footbridges which were swept into the swollen River Annan in October.
And this week, it has been revealed that the wreckage will hopefully be pulled from the water before the end of the financial year, at the end of March.
Annandale South Councillor Sean Marshall said: “The council have not said who the landowners are at present, but they are having some difficulties in contacting the landowners re Jubilee Bridge.
“But once this has been concluded, the work can commence.”
And he added: “As the council have no ownership of land or the bridges, I have requested costings for the council to potentially fund a feasibility study and options appraisal for replacing the bridges.
“This would be done in consultation with the Annan Bridges Steering Group.”
In December, councillors on the Communities Committee agreed to £75,000 of funding for the recovery of the footbridges from the river.
And the latest report for a meeting of the same committee, held yesterday, read: “Legal searches have now been concluded which confirm that the council is not the owner of either footbridge or the land adjacent or underneath them.
“Preparations are now at an advanced stage and once the identified landowners have been notified of the council’s intention to recover the footbridges and the associated proposals, this work can be progressed.”
Once the proposal and costings is complete, Cllr Marshall hopes to be include the work as a budget proposal by the Labour Councillors Group for the Council 2022/23 Budget, and for it to be carried out under a Capital Schemes Project.
