Bridge damage closes A98 at Cullen

Date Added - 06/11/09

The A98 Fochabers-Banff road has been closed to traffic until further notice after a bridge on the outskirts of Cullen was found to have suffered flood damage.

The road runs from Fochabers to Cullen, Portsoy, Banff and beyond.

The bridge in question carries traffic over the Cullen Burn on the western outskirts of the town.

Moray Council engineers discovered the damage during an inspection of the structure in the wake of last weekend’s storms which saw water levels rise in rivers and burns throughout the north and north-east.

Diversion signs have been put in place, with west-to-east A98 traffic being diverted via the B9016 Braes of Enzie road to Keith and on to Cullen via the A95 and B9018. East-to-west traffic is being diverted along the same route, only in reverse.

A Moray Council spokesman said the full extent of the damage to the bridge was still being assessed although it appeared that floodwater had undermined support at all four corners of the bridge.

“It is too early to say how long the road will remain closed but the early indications are that the bridge repairs will take some time,” he said.

From Monday morning, local schoolchildren attending Buckie High School will be picked up by bus at the car park adjacent to Cullen Golf Club. They will be required to make their own way to the car park via the pedestrian bridge over the burn.

The council has also been forced to close the Bridge of Isla on the B9022 near Rothiemay after one of the bridge piers was damaged by floodwater. Local diversions have been signposted.