Work to repair a crumbling bridge near Croftamie is to finally begin next month, ten months after the route was shut.
Traders and villagers have been left frustrated by the amount of time the Catterburn Bridge, on the A809, has been out of bounds, with business owners reporting a dip in profits as they miss out on the busy tourist season.
Stirling Council have this week confirmed that a contractor for the repair project has now been instated and the work will get underway in August.
A spokesperson said: “The council can confirm that a contractor has been appointed and work is scheduled to start at Catterburn next month.
“The local community have been informed and the council will issue a wider update on both the Catterburn and Branshogle bridges shortly.”
The road there was shut, from the B834 to the A811, after a section of wall and pavement partially collapsed on September 30 last year.
The bridge sits on the Glasgow side of the village and is the main link between Glasgow and East Loch Lomondside.
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In November last year, we told how traders were fearing that they could see takings drop by up to 40 per cent due to the prolonged bridge closure.
Business owners in Drymen, Croftamie, Balmaha and the East Loch Lomond area said the closure, coupled with the Branshogle Bridge closure, near Balfron, has brought businesses to their knees and they formed a community action group comprising of 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.
The Observer understands that a “resident and business engagement event” is due to take place next week.
The drop-in event will take place between 4pm and 8pm on Thursday, July 28, at the But and Ben Café, in Main Street, Croftamie.
The cafe sits a short distance from the road closure and only opened at the outset of the Covid pandemic.
Owner Barbara Cunningham last month told the Observer: “We rely on passing trade and we would rely on a busy summer season to get us through the quieter winter months, but the closure means that there is no passing trade.”
Branshogle Bridge, on the B818, remains out of bounds after closing in March last year when it partially collapsed. Council contractors then feared that a further collapse was likely and a full road closure was put in place.
In April this year, we told how the completion of repair works on the structure was to be delayed by more than two months.
Work to repair the structure began back in November last year and Stirling Council estimated that the programme of repairs would be completed by early April. However, in April it was confirmed that the work had hit a series of delays and was due for completion in late June. The route has yet to re-open with Stirling Council this week saying it would provide an update “shortly”.
