Elgin bridge replacement nears completion
Date Added - 16/07/09
A £2.8million project to relieve congestion at one of Elgin's most notorious traffic bottlenecks is on the verge of completion.
The new road bridge crossing the Aberdeen-Inverness railway line at Reiket Lane is due to open at 8am next Friday (July 24).
The two-lane bridge has been built as a replacement for the former humpback bridge which was controlled by traffic lights because of its narrowness.
The construction project has taken six months during which traffic, including local bus services, has had to be diverted.
The volume of traffic using the route has increased substantially in recent years as a result of major new housing developments in the area.
One of the main housing developers has contributed £500,000 towards the overall cost of the new bridge.
A temporary footbridge which has been in place during construction will be removed overnight next Thursday prior to the new bridge opening.
While the bridge and associated roadwork have been completed, landscaping cannot be successfully carried out until the planting season in the autumn.
Moray Council's project manager, Stewart Gordon, said he was delighted with the final outcome.
"Despite a delayed start, the works have gone well and to programme," he said.
"In a project of this complexity, problems do arise. The solution to these is in no small measure down to the efforts of the team brought together for the job working in partnership. This includes the council's own staff, contractor Carillion and designer Halcrow.
"We would all like to thank the public for their patience and consideration during the course of these works."
Councillor John Russell, chairman of the council's economic development and infrastructure services committee, said: "I am pleased for the local residents that completion is imminent. They have been very supportive in the face of the unavoidable disruption to their lives."
He added: "The new bridge will be a key step forward in our attempts to redistribute Elgin's traffic flows."
