A BRIDGE in Dumfries and Galloway has closed suddenly to all traffic after engineers issued a safety warning following an inspection.
The Kirkcudbright Bridge, which connects the town over the River Dee, has shut to vehicles until further notice, forcing drivers to make a six-mile detour.
The 99-year-old concrete bridge, which had previously had a weight limit for vehicles, reintroduced the measures following several heavy goods vehicles exceeding the limit using the route.
Dumfries and Galloway Council announced late on Friday afternoon that the bridge would be shut to vehicles from 19:00 for safety reasons following an inspection earlier in the day by structural engineers.
A statement on the local authority’s website read: “We fully appreciate the inconvenience this closure may cause and are engaging with the local community and partner – including emergency services and transport providers – to minimise disruption during this closure. We apologise for any disruption and inconvenience.
“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.”
The council said that it would provide further details about the bridge’s closure in the following days.
The local authority added, that despite the length of the closure being currently unknown, the bridge remains open to pedestrians and cyclists.
The bridge was constructed in 1926, replacing a Victorian bridge built in 1868, and provides a direct route west out of Kirkcudbright from the town centre.
Drivers will now have to use the Tongland Bridge, built by the famous Scottish engineer Thomas Telford in 1808, which is further north.
