The collapse of a Scottish active travel bridge built on a viaduct dating to 1883 will be investigated to help the local authority decide whether reinstatement is viable.
Garmouth Viaduct (also known as Spey Viaduct) made national news in mid-December when it collapsed into the River Spey to the west of Inverness. Part of the listed 290m bridge, which carries long-distance walking and cycling trails, came to rest in the fast-flowing water. No one was injured.
Engineers from Moray Council confirmed that a change to the river’s flow path caused scour which led to the iron girder structure’s failure (link opens in new tab).
The collapsed Garmouth Viaduct. Credit: Moray Council
The structure will be removed in pieces and tenders for this task are due in early February. The estimated cost is US$685,000.
Once the site is safe and stable, engineers will investigate to ascertain what caused the failure and to understand the condition of the remaining structure. They will also comment on the viability of reinstating the crossing. The cost of a temporary replacement bridge has been estimated at US$2–2.7 million.
Transport Scotland, the national transport agency, has contributed US$51,000 to the investigation and US$23,000 for a high-level assessment of the economic benefits of the viaduct. It has also allocated US$82,000 to setting up a diversion route.
Moray Council is using a steering group to bring community representatives, businesses, landowners, contractors and council officers into the process to improve sharing of views and information.
