REPAIRS to a Scottish have been delayed by a year after councillors were told the structure had "significant corrosion".
The Garry Viaduct near Killiecrankie had been scheduled for £4.3 million of repairs from 2026/27 to 2027/28 but they will now not be completed until 2028/29.
Councillors in Perth have been assured the bridge is being regularly assessed and the delayed timeline is appropriate.
A councillor raised concern at a recent committee meeting given the “significant corrosion” to bearings which had been reported to councillors.
On November 20, Perth and Kinross Council’s finance and resources committee agreed to reallocate funding from the capital budget for the project until 2028/29 due to other bridge repairs which also need to be carried out.
The report put before councillors stated: “…it was previously anticipated that the majority of work at Garry Viaduct would take place in 2026/27 and 2027/28.
"With other bridge refurbishment works taking place over the next few years the likely timeframe for the project at Garry Viaduct has been reviewed and it is expected that works will now not complete until 2028/29. It is proposed that £45,000 from 2025/26 and £1.645 million from 2026/27 is moved to 2028/29.”
Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Barrett sought assurance the bridge would still be safe to use.
Barrett said: “When we agreed to include the Garry Viaduct repairs in the capital programme in March last year, we were advised of the significant corrosion to the metal bearings dating back to when the bridge was originally built in 1969.
“So are we confident that delaying the project by a year isn’t going to create problems with regard to the significant corrosion to those bearings?
“Have we been able in the interim to ascertain how badly corroded they are and whether it’s safe to delay the works by a year given the significant disruption there would be to road and rail if the bearings were to fail?”
The council’s strategic lead for environment and infrastructure Fraser Crofts assured councillors the bridge was regularly monitored.
He said: “The Structures Team continue to make assessments on the bridge on a regular basis.
“The scheme has been in the capital budget for some time now. It is proving to be quite a complex undertaking as I understand it but just to give some reassurance the bridge is being regularly inspected and the timeline we have there is appropriate in terms of repair work.”
This week Perth and Kinross Council confirmed the the total budget for the project is £4.3m and the £1.7m, referred to in last month’s meeting, is simply a rephasing of some of the funding to align with the updated works programme.
