Fears raised over "series issues" with condition of Kirkcudbright bridge
dailyrecord.co.ukFears have been expressed over the future of Kirkcudbright’s bridge. A civil engineer believes there are “serious issues” with the crossing, which has needed several repairs in recent years.
And they also have “huge worries” about the damage being caused by farm vehicles and lorries ignoring the bridge’s 17 tonne weight limit.
The engineer, who asked not to be named, said: “The bridge has had major refurbishment work carried out on at least three occasions.
My professional opinion following the most recent refurbishment was that the bridge was nearing the end of its useful life and replacement was required. “My concerns are that vehicles over the assessed capacity are routinely crossing the bridge which is clearly unsafe and will further overstress the structure. “Clearly the existing restrictions aren’t preventing overweight vehicles from using the bridge. “When temporary traffic lights were installed on the bridge recently, the risk of two overweight vehicles being on the bridge at the same time was removed although the traffic lights didn’t prevent overweight vehicles in one direction. “I understand that the council is having the bridge reassessed and it is likely that the assessed capacity will be lower than the current 17 tonnes.
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