Major repairs to a flyover between Perth and Dundee which suffered “extensive damage” after being struck by a digger for the second time in four years could take over a year to complete.
The overbridge connecting St Madoes and Glencarse and the A90 section it traverses have also been reduced to single lane traffic light systems for the foreseeable future in a blow to local residents.
Now Carse of Gowrie Councillor Angus Forbes has launched a petition calling on Transport Scotland to raise the height of the bridge to avoid future collisions.
The A90 ground to a halt on Tuesday afternoon following the accident where plant machinery on a flatbed truck collided with the bridge while passing underneath before the digger and dumper crashed onto the southbound carriageway.
The bridge and the carriageway were closed to traffic in both directions for a number of hours for the safety of motorists.
Massive tailbacks were reported in the aftermath of the incident with one southbound motorist claiming they were stuck in a 13-mile queue back to Longforgan.
Diversions were put in place as the machinery was recovered and the flyover damage assessed, with the longest a 25-mile diversion via Coupar Angus.
No one was injured as a result of the collision but a man has been reported to prosecutors.
Amey engineers assessed the damage for over eight hours and found “substantial damage” to a number of key components both beneath and within the structure.
The incident resulted in significant damage to one of the steel primary deck elements and the concrete deck slab above.
The steel load bearing element has also been “badly deformed” and will need to be repaired.
Plans for a long-term solution are being progressed by Amey, which operates the road on behalf of Transport Scotland, who say it will be a “complex design process”.
One local councillor is calling for the Scottish Government to bite the bullet and get the overbridge heightened to avoid future collisions.
Carse of Gowrie Councillor Forbes said: “I was horrified to learn that the bridge across the A90 at St Madoes has been hit yet again.
“This happened a few years ago and the bridge was closed for months splitting the communities of St Madoes and Glencarse.
“The time has come where the Scottish Government must take action to solve this problem once and for all.
“It seems to me that the obvious solution is to raise the height of the bridge, while that will be an expensive option I can’t see any other way to solve this issue.
“I have a letter written and ready to post to them (Transport Minister) asking them to urgently address this issue.”
The bridge was damaged in October 2019, also by a digger carried by a lorry, with the structure fully reopened to traffic more than 12 months later in November 2020.
Similar timescales for permanent repair work to be completed following the latest incident “are anticipated”.
Amey also confirmed that both single lane systems on the flyover and the nearby A90 southbound lane will remain in place for the foreseeable future.
Operating company representative for the North East NMC, Tom Wallace, said: “Our engineers have carried out a detailed inspection of the structure and have identified extensive damage to critical parts of the overbridge.
“Road users and local communities should be assured that we will do everything we can to repair the bridge as quickly and safely as possible to allow it to be fully reopened.
“However, this is a complex operation and, as previous essential repair work on the bridge has shown, can often take a considerable amount of time to complete.
“Amey would like to thank all road users and the local community for their patience in advance.
“Motorists are encouraged to plan their journeys in advance by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up to date travel information.”
Fellow Carse of Gowrie ward Councillor Alasdair Bailey believes better informing drivers and adding warning systems that alert drivers of overheight loads is a “practical solution”.
“I’m pleased to hear that the bridge [has] reopened with traffic lights,” he added.
“That’s still an inconvenience but nothing like having to divert many miles to get to and from homes and businesses in St Madoes and Glencarse.
“The bridge at St Madoes is actually above the minimum required height for a road bridge but it is the lowest bridge for a long distance if people have come from the Aberdeen or Inverness directions and I suspect that’s what has led to it being struck twice in such a small amount of time.
“Last time the repair took a very long time to come to fruition but hopefully this time around the fact that the construction industry is almost fully recovered after the Covid shutdowns will mean that things can happen a lot more rapidly so as to minimise disruption.”
Jennifer Norrie has lived in St Madoes for over 30 years and feels companies transporting large loads should take responsibility for the damage caused.
“The bridge is of appropriate height and higher than some others near Dunfermline etc,” she said.
“Both incidents have been with flatbeds transporting machinery.
“Maybe the companies need to be more accountable for carrying the loads rather than blaming the bridge.
“I’ve been in the village for 30 plus years and believe this is the third incident of something striking the bridge.”
In response to the petition, a Transport Scotland spokesman said: “Once it has been received we will respond to correspondence from Cllr Forbes in due course.
“It is important to note the bridge involved in the incident is above the legal minimum height of 5.03 metres. The major bridge strike that took place March 28, 2023 was caused by an overheight excavator being carried by an HGV.
“While the incident in 2019 occurred on the northbound side, Tuesday’s incident was on the southbound side.
“We appreciate the impacts on the local community and the St Madoes local road will reopen one lane under traffic management as soon as possible.
“The permanent repair is progressing.”
