Peak Time Restrictions Lifted on £13.2m Kessock Bridge

The huge £13.2m upgrade of the Kessock Bridge is drawing to completion ahead of schedule with the peak-time traffic restrictions coming to an end today, five weeks early.

Transport Minister Keith Brown helped lift the traffic management this morning and all lanes of the crossing are now opened to traffic during the day. As a result, tens of thousands of commuters in the Inverness area can look forward to faster journeys to and from the city centre.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “This is one of the largest trunk road bridge maintenance projects ever undertaken in Scotland and I am pleased to see it moving ahead at great pace with the daytime restrictions lifted five weeks ahead of schedule.

“Inverness deserves top class transport links and that is what the Scottish Government is delivering. Overall we have spent more than £15 million on the refurbishment of the bridge and the other infrastructure improvements associated with the project.

“These include local junction improvements on the A9 and A82 at Longman Roundabout, the construction and re-opening of Conon Bridge Railway Station and the extension of the car park at Beauly Station.

The project has seen the bridge completely refurbished with a new resilient, state of the art road surface that should stay repair free for thirty years. Safety barriers have also been replaced in the central reserve and footways. The bridge deck expansion joints replaced and the main bridge cables re-tensioned.

Council Leader Cllr Drew Hendry said: “I am delighted that the works are being completed ahead of schedule. The travelling public are due our thanks for their patience during the two periods of resurfacing. Many will recognise the long term benefits of the investment. The major investment in the Kessock Bridge over the past two years is hugely welcome in the Highlands. This is a big success story for our very special area."

Facilities for pedestrians and cyclists have also been upgraded. The footway/cycleway path has been resurfaced using the same material as the carriageway and the parapet rails have also been improved.

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s representative for the North West Unit said: “The whole team has worked extremely hard to deliver this excellent job ahead of schedule. We’ve taken the opportunity to use one of the most innovative products available. This is the first time that this surface, Gussasphalt, has been used in Scotland and its unique properties mean that the road surface should remain repair free for the next thirty years. The installation of the new safety barriers is also a first for Scotland.”

With the majority of the work now completed, the team will move to night-time working to finish the remainder of the contract. These works will be carried out during off-peak hours, avoiding peak time traffic congestion.

George Hood, Managing Director for Balfour Beatty North Scotland, said: “Balfour Beatty is delighted to be in a position to reopen the southbound carriageway of the Kessock Bridge to daytime traffic some five weeks ahead of schedule. This achievement of completing complex works, often during challenging weather conditions, is a testament to the hard work of our project team and supply chain and to the positive working relationship established between Transport Scotland, BEAR and Balfour Beatty. We would once again like to thank commuters and the local community for their patience during these essential works.”