A west Stirlingshire bridge out of bounds to traffic for almost two years is to finally re-open next month.
Branshogle Bridge, on the B818, near Balfron, was shut after it partially collapsed in March last year.
Frustrated locals, drivers and businesses have been left to work around the closure.
The route has now been earmarked to re-open on December 5.
In an update, Balfron Community Council detailed how Stirling Council has provided the re-opening date.
The construction of the new concrete deck has been completed and work to waterproof the main deck has also been finished.
Scottish Water has been on site and have tested the new water main and taken samples.
That has now allowed work to begin on the final stages of the repair, with new road drainage, bridge deck backfilling, road widening, and surfacing to be completed by November 28.
Work to installation safety barriers will begin next week with the re-opening of the road and bridge on Monday, December 5.
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Balfron Community Council chairman Colin Cameron this week told the Observer: “We appreciate that the contractors and Stirling Council have to complete the repairs safely and effectively, but it remains enormously frustrating for the residents and businesses affected.”
At the time the route was forced to close, we told how farmers and HGV drivers were facing a 19-mile diversion.
The bridge initially partially collapsed, however consultants for Stirling Council feared that “a further collapse is likely”, resulting in the full closure.
The closure meant that lorries looking to head along the route between Balfron and Fintry have had to take a lengthy detour via Buchlyvie, Arnprior and Kippen.
Vehicles trying to access one farm along the B818 – Claylands – faced an almost 19-mile diversion to access the property.
Claylands Farm sits less than a mile from the closure site, but delivery lorries are now having to take the lengthy diversion.
Rona Nicolson owns Claylands Farm with her family which hosts the Strathendrick Biogas site. Silage deliveries would normally travel around four miles along the route to the dairy farm, but now they must travel 40 miles to get there.
In May 2021, heading into the summer months, Rona estimated that more than 500 trips would have to be made on the diverted route by HGV delivering silage crops.
Rona said: “It’s having a major impact on three businesses that supply food, fuel and power to the locality.”
Rona’s husband Alastair took to social media to say: “As a dairy farm business with livestock and Strathendrick Biogas on site this is a disaster. The crops to feed our animals and feed the digester which supplies one megawatt of electricity to the surrounding area has to be harvested and stored on farm and in short weather windows, to comply with regulations.”
The repair work on the bridge began last November and was hit with delays.
In May this year, farmer Alastair voiced his concerns over the delays, warning that further delays could hit businesses even harder in the pocket.
At that time, Stirling Council confirmed to the Observer that its contractors had “faced significant challenges” due to the “complexity of the project”.
The council committed £2.5million for the essential repairs to both the Catterburn and Branshogle Bridges.
