The £1.5-3 million proposal approved by Aberdeenshire Council’s Marr Area Committee this week will see vertical ‘pins’ being installed in the structure, with removal and replacement of the existing concrete deck. 

Members of the committee were told that the project is expected to take 22 months to deliver from the date of their approval and that, once completed, the bridge would accommodate all anticipated emergency vehicles, tractors with smaller trailers and 2-axled delivery lorries.

However heavier vehicles – including articulated lorries which can weigh as much as 44 tonnes – will no longer be permitted to travel across the structure.

Following various structural investigations last year, a detailed options appraisal was drawn up by environmental and engineering consultants WSP and five options offered to the council.

These ranged from undertaking no work and only maintaining the bridge for active travel uses to the delivery of an all-new replacement bridge at an estimated cost of £30m. It was acknowledged by council officers that all the options came with varying degrees of risk and that even the preferred option would require a challenging design.

Two well-attended community drop-in sessions held earlier this year presented the five options for the bridge, with a wide range of views from residents and businesses being reported back to the council’s roads and structures teams. 

At the Marr area committee meeting, one Birse resident addressed councillors to stress the acknowledged risks involved in proceeding with the limited strengthening option. He urged councillors to adopt the option for full strengthening and more extensive repairs at an estimated cost of £10-£15m which would open up the bridge to all traffic. 

During the lengthy committee discussion, councillors were united in their sympathy over the plight of local residents during the ongoing closure – particularly in Birse – who currently face a lengthy diversion across Dinnet or Potarch bridges when travelling to Aboyne.

While accepting that other options might be preferable, they stressed that the cost of delivery of larger-scale projects in the face of ever-tightening council budgets would be prohibitive.

It was unanimously agreed it was imperative to get the bridge fixed and opened as soon as possible to reunite two communities which have become divided for so long.

Afterwards, Councillor Geva Blackett, chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Marr Area Committee, commented: “First and foremost, as someone who has experience of life on the wrong side of a closed bridge, I absolutely sympathise with the residents of Birse and Aboyne who continue to face many challenges during the current closure of Aboyne Bridge - and I know colleagues on Marr Area Committee do too. 

“However, it is critical that the council carefully considers all the information from the specialist investigations which have been undertaken to-date to ensure we have 100% oversight of the structural requirements, the associated costs, and the anticipated timescale to get the bridge reopened.

“I believe that in choosing Option 2, we have agreed a pragmatic solution to a very challenging issue, incorporating a healthy degree of sustainability of the crossing, its built heritage and enhancing its lifespan.”

The council’s director of environment and infrastructure services, Alan Wood, added: “The decision taken at Marr Area Committee paves the way for detailed design work to commence as a matter of urgency and I thank councillors for their careful consideration of all the options.

“While working within the regulations, we will be looking to proceed as fast as possible on all procurement elements to ensure work begins timeously.

“Throughout the process we will be communicating the timeline to the affected communities, however at this moment the indicative timescale will be ten months for the design element, four for procurement and eight for the construction work itself.”

The full options appraisal document and further information about the drop-in sessions can be found on the Engage Aberdeenshire hub.