TWO years ago this weekend the Annan bridges were washed away and now final preparations are underway for a feasibility study.
Annan – A Tale Of Two Bridges group chairman Stuart Thompson yesterday stressed again that although work is slow, it is ongoing.
He said: “We have completed and signed the legal agreement with Dumfries and Galloway Council that will allow us to move forward with the feasibility study, which will look into all sorts of things like what materials are needed and how much, the locations of the replacement bridges, rising river levels and disabled access.
“We are waiting to hear back from the council’s engineering department about a potential for the study.”
The study costing over £70,000, once completed will give the group the information required to replace the two bridges, and only after that can funding be allocated for any construction.
Both of the collapsed bridges were regularly used during sports events and are on the official Annandale Way walking route. They also provided a well-used pedestrian route to the town for residents with homes on the west side of the river.
As the anniversary approaches, on October 28, Stuart and the rest of the group are urging the community to remain patient as they enter the next stage of project. He added: “It has taken quite a while for the group to get here but we are at the dawn of the next chapter.
“We are in the process of applying for charitable status and that status will allow us to apply for more funding but our committee and members are still proactive in fundraising for the project.
“I fully appreciate and understand peoples’ frustrations, we’re coming up to the two year mark and it seems that little progress has been made but we have to jump through these hoops to get the result we want.
“Slow as it may be we will get there.”
