DIVERSIONS are in place following the emergency closure of Kirkcudbright Harbour bridge amid structural concerns.
Dumfries and Galloway Council announced the bridge’s closure on Friday after engineers carried out an assessment on the structural condition of the bridge.
Giving more detail on the condition of the bridge, a spokesperson for the council said: “Earlier this year, a temporary 7.5-tonne weight limit was introduced in response to ongoing breaches of the previous 17-tonne limit. This followed findings from inspections by the council’s engineering consultant, Mott MacDonald, which highlighted structural limitations in the bridge and required prompt action.
“Despite early efforts to protect the structure and limit weight on the crossing, ongoing monitoring has shown that several heavy goods vehicles – with a weight well in excess of safe limits – have continued to use the route.
Now it is closed to all vehicles and a signed diversion via A755, A75(T), A762 and vice versa, whilst the bridge will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists.
Although the length of the closure is currently unknown, the council state that they are ‘committed’ to keeping the community up-to-date, the council spokesperson continued: “The council is working closely with its engineering consultant to ensure that it is in a position to provide further, detailed information on the assessment carried out and the condition of the bridge as soon as possible.”
