Repair works to a crumbling bridge in west Stirlingshire have been delayed once more.
Catterburn Bridge, in Croftamie, has been shut to traffic and pedestrians since September 2021 after a section of wall and pavement on the bridge partially collapsed.
The road there was closed – from the B834 to the A811 – and Stirling Council had previously revealed that it was due to reopen last month.
However, the reopening has been further delayed until later this month.
Stirling Council this week told the Observer that the delay has come as a result of “complex works involving the diversion of utilities, as well as a number of other operational tasks”.
A council spokesperson said: “We would like to thank the community for its patience and understanding throughout the closure of the road and apologise for this delay. It is a result of complex works involving the diversion of utilities, as well as a number of other operational tasks.
“The road is now programmed to reopen, single lane, in the week beginning May 22. We will do all we can, working with the contractor and external agencies, to reopen it even earlier.
“We will continue to keep local residents and businesses regularly informed as the contractor completes the final stages of this important work.”
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The delay to the work’s progress has left residents and traders frustrated.
The completion of works had initially been earmarked for February this year. However, the project was hit with delays and the re-opening was pushed back to April. The council blamed that delay on “poor weather and extremely low temperatures” as well as “structural complexity”.
In January, the council said: “The essential repairs at the bridge continue to prove challenging and complex, with adverse weather conditions in December contributing to this additional delay. The council and its contractor will continue to do all they can to ensure the bridge can be reopened as soon as possible, and we will continue to keep the local community regularly updated as we move towards the completion of the project in the spring.”
A diversion route was put in place when the route first closed – via the B834 and A81 to Ballat Crossroads, with HGVs diverted via the B834 and A875 through Killearn and Balfron.
In November 2021, we told how traders in west Stirlingshire were left fearing that they could see takings drop by up to 40 per cent due to a series of prolonged bridge closures in the area.
Business owners in Drymen, Croftamie, Balmaha and the East Loch Lomond area said that multiple bridge closures in the area had brought businesses to their knees and they formed a community action group comprising 80 per cent of the businesses.
Calling themselves Business Action Roads and Bridges (BARB), the trading group said that the crumbling infrastructure in west Stirlingshire was having an immediate detrimental effect on local businesses and the wider community.
